Yesterday I posted a story that spoke about Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard for a incredible amount of money. In that story I said this:
Here’s what really interesting about this. Microsoft have decided to keep Bobby Kotick around. He’s been accused of creating a “frat boy” culture at Activision Blizzard and is under immense scrutiny for that. One wonders if Microsoft will deal with that eventually.
I guess the answer is yes. Business Insider is reporting that Bobby Kotick is leaving the company when the deal closes:
Those sources said that both Microsoft and Activision have agreed that Kotick “will depart once the deal closes,” which could take anywhere from 12 to 18 months.
That’s in stark contrast to what Microsoft said in its press release on Tuesday morning.
“Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard,” the release said, “and he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture and accelerate business growth. Once the deal closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming.”
I guess the blowback from Microsoft’s press release from yesterday made the software giant reconsider. But it’s interesting that this is coming about via “sources” rather than an official Microsoft press release of some sort. That suggests to me that Microsoft is still trying to figure out how to clean up the “frat boy” culture that exists at this company.