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Bobby Kotick

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bobby Kotick
Kotick in 2012
Born
Robert A. Kotick

1963 (age 62–63)
United States
EducationUniversity of Michigan (dropped out)
OccupationBusinessman
TitleFormer CEO of Activision Blizzard
Term1991–2023
Children3

Robert A. "Bobby" Kotick (born 1963) is an American businessman who was chief executive officer (CEO) of the video game publisher Activision from 1991 and later Activision Blizzard from its formation in 2008 until 2023. In June 2017, Fortune reported that Kotick had become "the longest-serving head of any publicly traded tech company."[1] He has also been on several boards, including the Coca-Cola Company from 2012 to 2022 and Yahoo from 2003 to 2008.[2][3] Following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, Kotick retired from the company in December 2023.[4] In 2022, Forbes estimated his net worth at $870 million.[5]

Early life and education

Robert A. Kotick was born in 1963 in the United States and grew up in Roslyn, New York on Long Island.[6][7][8] His interest in business began at an early age. In junior high school, Kotick had his own business cards, and in high school, he ran a business renting out Manhattan clubs on off nights, as well as various other small business ventures like "delivering sandwiches, restringing tennis rackets [and] selling wallets."[7] He studied art history at the University of Michigan in the early 1980s.[9]

Career

Early career and Activision purchase

While Kotick was still a student in 1982 at the University of Michigan, he started a software company called Arktronics with friend Howard Marks in their dorm room.[9][10] He and his roommate developed a GUI-based integrated software package called Jane for the Apple II.[9] In 1983, casino magnate Steve Wynn (who Kotick had met when he was 19 at the Cattle Baron's Ball in Dallas, Texas[7]) and his wife Elaine and invested $300,000 in their startup.[11] Steve Jobs met with Kotick and convinced him to drop out of college. Kotick took the advice and left the University of Michigan to focus on building his company.[12] From 1985-1991, Arktonics was involved in a protracted legal dispute over the value of shares in the company that employees were given in lieu of pay at the request of the company's leadership including Kotick, that later turned out to be worth little, after Jane had been made obsolete by improvements to Apple's computers.[10]

In 1987, Kotick tried to acquire Commodore International. He planned to remove the keyboard and disk drive from the Amiga 500 and turn it into a video game system. He was unsuccessful in persuading Commodore's then-Chairman Irving Gould to sell control of the company.[13]

In June 1990, Kotick became CEO of Leisure Concepts, Nintendo's third-party licensing agent. In December 1990, Kotick sold his stake in Leisure Concepts and purchased a 25% stake in the almost-bankrupt Activision, then known as Mediagenic, with business partner Brian Kelly. In 1991, Kotick changed the name back to Activision, restructured the company, and refocused the company on making and marketing video games.[13][14][9] Kotick became CEO of Activision in February 1991.[15][16] An early hit under Kotick's tenure was Return to Zork (1993), which made over $2.3 million dollars in profit for the company with over 600,000 copies sold.[17][18] Early in on Kotick's career at Activision, having studied rival publishers like Electronic Arts, he emphasised a philosophy of autonomy and freedom for the game development studios under his umbrella, rather than emphasising top-down publisher control, like some rival publishers, which were riven with conflicts between game developers and management. In 1999, Activision had its first major franchise hit with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.[7] In 2003, Activision began publishing the Call of Duty series of first person shooters, following the defection of the heads of the studio behind the EA published 2002 game Medal of Honor: Allied Assault as a result of Kotick providing them funding.[7][17] Call of Duty would subsequently go on to become one of Activision's most profitable franchises,[17] along with the Guitar Hero series launched in 2005.[7]

Activision Blizzard

In November 2006, Kotick entered into discussion with French media conglomerate Vivendi. Through its Vivendi Games subsidiary, it owned Blizzard Entertainment and Sierra Entertainment.[7] Kotick engineered the merger, which created a new company, Activision Blizzard.[19] Shareholders of Activision Blizzard approved Kotick as CEO of the combined company in 2008.[20] Kotick said he aimed to build on Blizzard's successes, including expanding into Asia.[19]

Kotick has used Activision Blizzard's industry position to push partners for changes that he maintains would benefit the gaming community. In July 2009, Kotick threatened to stop making games for the PlayStation 3 platform if Sony did not cut the price of the console.[21] Kotick also urged the British government to reward Activision for continuing to invest in the country's pool of game developers by providing Activision with the same kinds of tax incentives provided by Canada, Singapore, and eastern bloc countries.[22] By 2010, 65% of Activision Blizzard's profit was related to online-playable games. Kotick remarked in 2010 that as leader of Activision Blizzard, he was focusing on profit margins over revenue growth, seeing subscriptions, microtransactions, free to play and digitally distributed games as means to future profit growth.[23]

From 2013 onwards, following the cancellation of Project Titan, Kotick curtailed the autonomy of Blizzard Entertainment within the company, pushing Blizzard to focus on increasing revenue from its franchises, resulting in tension with Blizzard employees including President and CEO Michael Morhaime.[24][25] Kotick expanded Activision Blizzard's mobile presence in 2016 when it acquired King, the creator of Candy Crush.[26] He also acquired the professional esports organization Major League Gaming.[26] Also in 2016, Kotick announced the creation of Activision Blizzard's professional Overwatch League.[27] In June 2017, Fortune reported that Kotick had become "the longest-serving head of any publicly traded tech company." Under Kotick's leadership, Activision Blizzard was named one of Fortune Magazine's “100 Best Places to Work from 2015 to 2018."[28][29][30] In November 2022, the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II broke record sales for the franchise after crossing the $1 billion mark in ten days.[31]

Litigation

In 2007, a flight attendant filed a lawsuit against Kotick, Andrew Gordon, and Cove Management, a company the two created to manage their privately owned Gulfstream III jet. She claimed that a pilot hired by Cove had sexually harassed her, and that she had been wrongfully terminated after she had reported the incidents to Gordon.[32] Cove denied the allegations and eventually settled the litigation with the flight attendant. Kotick then became involved in litigation with the law firm selected to defend him, Gordon, and Cove Management, in a dispute over legal fees. The court ruled in the firm's favor and awarded it damages.[33][32]

California Department of Fair Employment and Housing lawsuit against Activision Blizzard

In July 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) announced it had filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard due to allegations of workplace misconduct and discrimination by several employees. Kotick was not named in the suit.[34] In October 2021, Kotick asked the Activision Blizzard board to cut his salary to the lowest amount allowed by California law, and not to receive any bonuses or be granted any equity amid lawsuits against the company.[35]

In November 2021, an article from The Wall Street Journal reported, based on sources separate from the California lawsuit, that Kotick had been aware of past misconduct allegations, but had not always reported them to Activision's board of directors. These included allegations of rape made by a Sledgehammer Games employee against her supervisor in 2018 that was settled out of court, but that according to the Wall Street Journal, neither the incident or settlement was reported by Kotick to the company board. The Wall Street Journal also alleged that Kotick had intervened to retain the head of one of the company's game studios that had been accused of sexual harassment, despite the fact that Activision’s human-resources department recommended he be fired after a 2019 investigation. The article also asserted that in 2006 Kotick had threatened to kill an assistant on their voicemail. In response to the Wall Street Journal, Activision did not deny that the voicemail incident occurred, stating that Kotick had "quickly apologized ... for the obviously hyperbolic and inappropriate voice mail". The voicemail dispute was settled out of court. Kotick denied the other allegations in the The Wall Street Journal's reporting.[36][37][38]

In response to the allegations, Activision's Board itself examined the claims made and retained an outside law firm and other advisors, including Gilbert F. Casellas, the former head of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, to conduct independent reviews. In June 2022, the Board filed its findings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and a summary of the independent review's findings in an 8-K filing. The Board's statement expressed confidence that Kotick "appropriately addressed workplace issues brought to his attention" and supported his efforts to lead the company,[39][40] while over 1,000 Activision-Blizzard employees urged Kotick to resign or to be replaced in light of these allegations.[41][42][43][44]

The California lawsuit was eventually settled in December 2023. The settlement agreement stated that there was no evidence of wrongdoing by the company's board, its executives, or Kotick. As part of that settlement, Activision Blizzard agreed to pay $54 million including set-asides to deal with pay and promotion inequality.[45]

In January 2024, the CRD filed an amendment withdrawing these claims, stating in a publicly-filed settlement agreement: "No court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard; ... or that Activision Blizzard's Board of Directors, including its Chief Executive Officer, Robert Kotick, acted improperly with regard to the handling of any instances of workplace misconduct."[46][47] Following the settlement, several media publications posted corrections and redactions regarding conduct by Activision, its board, and executives,[48][49][50] under legal threat from Kotick who has sued news organisations who have connected or continued to connect him with the workplace misconduct allegations.[51][52][53] The November 2021 Wall Street Journal story regarding Kotick has not received any corrections or redactions.[36]

Microsoft acquisition and retirement

In January 2022, Microsoft announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, making it the largest video game company acquisition. The acquisition was completed in 2023.[54][55][56][57] Following the completion of the acquisition, Kotick remained with Activision Blizzard to assist with the transition until he retired from the company on December 29, 2023.[58]

In 2022, it was reported that Kotick unsuccessfully attempted to organise a consortium of investors to buy TikTok's US operations.[47]

Board memberships

Kotick is a non-executive director for The Coca-Cola Company and a board member at the Center for Early Education and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He previously served as a Yahoo! board member from March 2003 to August 2008.[15][59][60][6]

In 2019, Kotick's total compensation at Activision Blizzard fell to $30.1 million,[61] down from his 2018 package of $31 million in salary, bonus, perks, stock and options. 85% of his 2018 compensation came from stock and options. He was the 21st most highly compensated CEO in the United States that year. He also earned 319 times more than the average Activision Blizzard employee's salary of $97,000 in that year, putting him in 75th place among U.S. CEOs.[62] He was working under a deal signed in November 2016 with Activision Blizzard under which he earned bonuses if Activision Blizzard meets certain financial targets related to mergers and acquisitions.[63] The contract locked him in until 2021.[64]

In February 2019, the non-profit organization As You Sow ranked Kotick 45th in a list of the 100 most over-paid chief executive officers of the United States.[65] A 180% increase in Activision Blizzard's share price since March 2016 triggered an incentive bonus in Kotick's 2016 contract. Kotick was expected to receive a bonus of $200 million, which was reduced to a bonus package of $155 million following criticism.[66][67]

In 2009, Kotick co-founded the Call of Duty Endowment (CODE), a non-profit benefit corporation.[68] The endowment helps soldiers transition to civilian careers after their military service by funding nonprofit organizations.[69] As of 2026, Kotick retains his position on CODE's board.[70] During the COVID-19 crisis, CODE has advocated for employing veteran medics and hospital corpsman as emergency medical technicians and paramedics.[71]

Public reputation and controversial statements

Forbes described Kotick in 2009 as having an "unmatched eye for spotting hits", and "confident in his ability to understand his customers, whether or not he shared any of their passion for his products." (despite his prominence in the video game industry, Kotick is known to rarely if ever play video games).[7] In contrast to his reputation among investors, where he is lauded for the business performance of Activision and later Activision Blizzard, his public reputation among video game enthusiasts has generally been strongly negative, to the point where some have described Kotick as "the most hated man in videogames."[17][9][72] In 2012, The New York Times reported that "The disdain heaped on Mr. Kotick in video game blogs is second only to the admiration for him on Wall Street",[9] with PC Gamer describing Kotick in 2023 as having a reputation among many gamers as being a "cutthroat capitalist" and the "quintessential corporate villain—the go-to name if [gamers] want to talk about soulless profit seeking at the expense of artistry and human wellbeing."[17] During his tenure as head of Activision Blizzard, photos of Kotick modified with devil horns were widely shared on the internet, something which Kotick joked had impacted his dating life.[17][72]

Some statements Kotick has made about his business strategy have garnered negative media attention and contributed to this reputation.[72] In 2008, he remarked on an investor call that Activision only wanted to publish video games that "have the potential to be exploited every year across every platform with clear sequel potential, that can meet our objectives of over time becoming $100 million plus franchises.",[17] to the exclusion of new titles which cannot guarantee sequels.[73][74] During the 2009 Deutsche Bank Securities Technology Conference, Kotick stated that "The goal that I had in bringing a lot of the packaged goods folks into Activision about 10 years ago was to take all the fun out of making video games."[75][76][77][78] Following the backlash on this comment, Kotick clarified that his remarks were intended for investors and had been taken out of context.[79]

It was revealed in the aftermath of the Epstein Files release that Kotick and Jeffrey Epstein had conversed with each other via email from 2012-2013 and had at one point planned to meet up, though there is no evidence they ever met in person. Kotick's representative said when asked for comment that "Epstein and Mr. Kotick were not friends or colleagues ever… Mr. Kotick was obviously unaware of the misconduct in which Epstein engaged. Had Mr. Kotick known of Epstein’s heinous and disgusting crimes, he never would have engaged with him in any way."[80][81]

Honors and recognition

Personal life

A native of Long Island, New York, Kotick resides in California with his family.[87] Bobby married Nina Spiegel and they have three daughters: Grace, Emily and Audrey.[88] He and his wife divorced in late 2012.[9] In 2014, an ex-girlfriend of Kotick got a temporary restraining order against him after Kotick allegedly harassed her at her home.[89][90][91][92] Kotick dated Sheryl Sandberg from 2016 to 2019.[93] Kotick reportedly used his relationship with Sandberg in an attempt to suppress news coverage of the restraining order.[89][90][91][92] His home in Beverly Hills is filled with Abstract Expressionist art.[9] Kotick has donated to University of Michigan sports.[94]

Kotick identifies as a libertarian and donated to the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2007 and 2008.[9] He endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the run-up for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[95]

In 2011, Kotick had a cameo appearance in the film Moneyball as Oakland Athletics co-owner Stephen Schott.[96]

References

  1. ↑ "Activision's Kotick could see windfall in purchase". Wall Street Journal. April 30, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  2. ↑ Novet, Jordan (March 4, 2022). "Activision CEO Bobby Kotick will leave Coca-Cola's board before Microsoft deal closes". CNBC. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Yahoo director Kotick to resign after meeting". Reuters. July 28, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  4. ↑ IV, Antonio Pequeño. "Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick Stepping Down After 32 Years With Gaming Company". Forbes. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  5. ↑ Kaplan, Anna. "Activision Blizzard CEO Kotick Reportedly Leaving Company After Microsoft Deal Closes". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 6, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Coca-Cola – Press Center – Press Releases – Board Elects Robert A. Kotick as Director". Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Beller, Peter C. (January 15, 2009). "Activision's Unlikely Hero". Forbes. Retrieved November 17, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ↑ Finkelstein, Harley; Segal, David (April 10, 2025). "The King of Gaming: How Bobby Kotick Built and Sold Activision Blizzard for $69B (Interview with Bobby Kotick)". YouTube. Retrieved February 21, 2026. (around minute 4:51) "I had a bar mitzvah with three other people, so like, I had 14 lines [...] that's all you get when you're doing it with four guys"{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Chozick, Amy (December 15, 2012). "At Activision, a Hero and Villain, Zapped into One". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 13, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. 1 2 Garcia-Roberts, Gus; Liao, Shannon (February 11, 2022). "'Scorched earth' and big profits: How embattled gaming titan Bobby Kotick outlasts his opponents". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  11. ↑ "CNBC TRANSCRIPT: CNBC'S BECKY QUICK INTERVIEWS ACTIVISION BLIZZARD CEO BOBBY KOTICK FROM THE CNBC EVOLVE CONFERENCE IN LOS ANGELES TODAY". CNBC. November 19, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  12. ↑ Yukari Iwatani Kane (June 14, 2010). "Activision CEO: Steve Jobs Convinced Me to Quit College". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  13. 1 2 Gallagher, Dan (December 4, 2008). "Kotick changes the game at Activision Blizzard". Marketwatch.com.
  14. ↑ Nuttall, Chris (2007-10-07). "Game player with a serious goal". Financial Times. The Financial Times LTD. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  15. 1 2 "Robert A. Kotick Profile". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  16. ↑ Pequeño IV, Antonio (2023-12-20). "Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick Stepping Down After 32 Years With Gaming Company". Forbes. Forbes Media LLC. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wilde, Tyler (December 21, 2023). "How Bobby Kotick became 'the most hated man in videogames'". PC Gamer. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  18. ↑ Losee, Stephanie (September 19, 1994). "Watch Out for the CD-ROM Hype". Fortune. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016.
  19. 1 2 "Activision and Vivendi merge to create video games giant". the Guardian. July 11, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Investors approve Activision Blizzard merger". Video Game Media. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
  21. ↑ Sabbagh, Dan. "Sony should beware – Activision chief is not simply playing games". The Times. London. Archived from the original on July 8, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
  22. ↑ Palmer, Maija; Bradshaw, Tim. "Computer games industry hits at tax rethink". Financial Times. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  23. ↑ Meer, Alec (September 16, 2010). "Kotick: Profit, not revenue growth, is Activision's focus". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  24. ↑ Schreier, Jason (2024). Play nice: the rise, fall, and future of Blizzard Entertainment (First ed.). New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5387-2542-9.
  25. ↑ Maas, Jennifer (October 8, 2024). "'Play Nice' Author Talks Biggest Revelations From Activision Blizzard Tell-All Book: Bobby Kotick vs. Mike Morhaime, Strip Club Excursions and Prosecutor Chris Christie". Variety. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  26. 1 2 "Don't Be Surprised When Activision Blizzard CEO Does a Big Deal". Bloomberg. November 29, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Activision Blizzard CEO confirms Overwatch League". ESPN. October 20, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Activision Blizzard Aims for the Big Leagues". Fortune. June 7, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® 2018". Great Place To Work®. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  30. ↑ Minotti, Mike (March 9, 2017). "Activision Blizzard is the only game company on Fortune's list of 100 best places to work in America". VentureBeat. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  31. ↑ Morris, Chris. "'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II' sales surpass $1 billion in 10 days". Fortune. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  32. 1 2 "Video game mogul Kotick loses fight with top Hollywood litigator". Los Angeles Times. August 2, 2010.
  33. ↑ Plunkett, Luke (March 8, 2010). "Activision Boss Loses Legal Battle Over Sexual Harassment Case". Kotaku.
  34. ↑ Allsup, Maeve (July 21, 2021). "Activision Blizzard Sued Over 'Frat Boy' culture, Harassment". Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  35. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (October 28, 2021). "Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick Asks Board To Reduce His Salary And Cut Bonuses Amid Lawsuits". GameSpot. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  36. 1 2 Grind, Kirsten; Fritz, Ben; Needleman, Sarah E. (November 16, 2021). "Activision CEO Bobby Kotick Knew for Years About Sexual-Misconduct Allegations at Videogame Giant". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  37. ↑ Gilbert, Ben. "Activision CEO Bobby Kotick threatened to have his former assistant killed, according to a bombshell new investigation". Business Insider. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  38. ↑ "Bobby Kotick: Activision Blizzard employees call for boss to step down". BBC News. November 17, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Form 8-K". www.sec.gov. June 16, 2022.
  40. ↑ "Activision board says no evidence senior execs ignored harassment cases". Reuters. June 16, 2022.
  41. ↑ D'anastasio, Cecilia (November 16, 2021). "Activision Blizzard Employees Are Done with CEO Bobby Kotick". Wired. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  42. ↑ Liao, Shannon (November 17, 2021). "Group of Activision Blizzard shareholders joins call for CEO Bobby Kotick's resignation". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  43. ↑ Liao, Shannon (November 18, 2021). "Activision Blizzard employees petition for CEO Bobby Kotick's resignation". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  44. ↑ Parrish, Ash (November 18, 2021). "Over 1,000 Activision Blizzard employees petition to remove CEO Bobby Kotick". The Verge. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  45. ↑ Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Hirsch, Lauren (December 15, 2023). "California Drops Sexual Harassment Suit in $54 Million Settlement With Activision". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  46. ↑ Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Hirsch, Lauren (December 15, 2023). "California Drops Sexual Harassment Suit in $54 Million Settlement With Activision". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  47. 1 2 Macdonald, Cheyenne (2022-03-22). "Activision Blizzard's ex-CEO Bobby Kotick reportedly wants to buy TikTok". Engadget. Yahoo. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  48. ↑ Jennings, Libby (2024-03-12). "Former Activision Boss Bobby Kotick Expressed Interest In Buying TikTok". The Indiependent. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  49. ↑ Sinha, Shreyas (2024-03-19). "4 Investors Who Could Buy TikTok If the US Divesting Bill Becomes Law". Observer. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  50. ↑ Shankar, Bradly (2024-03-11). "Ex-Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick wants to buy TikTok". MobileSyrup. ZoomerMedia. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  51. ↑ Roush, Chris (March 16, 2025). "Ex Activision Blizzard CEO sues Gizmodo parent". Talking Biz News. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  52. ↑ "Report: Bobby Kotick Files Defamation Suit Against Gizmodo And Kotaku". Aftermath. March 15, 2025. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Why It Took Years For A Story About Bobby Kotick Sending Journalists Legal Threats To Come Out". Aftermath. September 25, 2026. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  54. ↑ Grind, Kirsten; Lombardo, Cara; Fritz, Ben (January 19, 2022). "Activision Blizzard's Workplace Problems Spurred $75 Billion Microsoft Deal". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  55. ↑ Bass, Dina; Lanxon, Nate (January 18, 2022). "Microsoft Buys Scandal-Tainted Activision in Bet on Metaverse". Bloomberg News. Retrieved January 19, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  56. ↑ Bass, Dina; Baker, Liana (January 19, 2022). "Activision Misconduct Fallout Prompted Microsoft to Pursue Deal". Bloomberg News. Retrieved January 19, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  57. ↑ Tilley, Aaron (2022-01-18). "Microsoft to Buy Activision Blizzard in All-Cash Deal Valued at $75 Billion". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  58. ↑ Parrish, Ash (December 20, 2023). "Microsoft announces more Xbox leadership changes as Activision's Bobby Kotick departs". The Verge. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  59. ↑ "It's a done deal: Icahn on Yahoo board". CNET. August 6, 2008. Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2008.
  60. ↑ "Are You the Next Yahoo! CEO?". The Motley Fool. June 17, 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2008.
  61. ↑ "Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick's Pay Falls to $30.1M in 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. April 24, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  62. ↑ Russell, Karl; Williams, Josh (May 24, 2019). "The Highest-Paid C.E.O.s of 2018: A Year So Lucrative, We Had to Redraw Our Chart". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  63. ↑ "Activision Blizzard's Kotick set for stock windfall". Financial Times. November 25, 2016.
  64. ↑ "Don't Be Surprised When Activision Blizzard CEO Does a Big Deal". Bloomberg. November 29, 2016.
  65. ↑ "Bobby Kotick and Andrew Wilson make the list of most overpaid U.S. CEOs". VentureBeat. February 25, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  66. ↑ "Activision Chief Bobby Kotick's Stock Bonus Condemned by Investment Group". www.yahoo.com. March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  67. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (June 22, 2021). "Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick's $155m pay package approved by shareholders". Eurogamer. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  68. ↑ Meyer, Thomas (2017). "A Gamer Puts Vets to Work: The Call of Duty Endowment separates potent nonprofits from also-rans" (PDF). Uniform Champions: A Wise Giver's Guide to Excellent Assistance for Veterans. Philanthropy Roundtable. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2021.
  69. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (December 5, 2019). "Call of Duty Endowment and U.S. Army create Code Bowl esports event for armed forces". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  70. ↑ "Leadership". Call of Duty Endowment. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  71. ↑ Miller, Hawken (May 22, 2020). "As veterans face heightened unemployment risk, 'Call of Duty' lends a hand". Washington Post. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  72. 1 2 3 Crecente, Brian (June 14, 2010). "A Delightful Chat With the Most Hated Man in Video Games". Kotaku. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  73. ↑ "Activision: if we can't run a game into the ground, we don't want it". Ars Technica. November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
  74. ↑ "Activision Blizzard SF2Q09 (Qtr End 9/30/08) Earnings Call Transcript". Seeking Alpha. November 5, 2008. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  75. ↑ Kuchera, Ben (September 15, 2009). "ActiBlizzard CEO Bobby Kotick: reward profit, remove fun". Ars Technica. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  76. ↑ "Bobby Kotick takes "the fun out of making videogames"". That VideoGame Blog. September 15, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  77. ↑ "Activision CEO on Plans to 'Take All the Fun Out of Making Video Games,' Go Beyond Consoles". Shacknews. September 15, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  78. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (February 15, 2019). "Activision Blizzard, Where Massive Layoffs Are a First Resort". USgamer. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  79. ↑ "Bobby Kotick, Warm and Fuzzy, Defends Notorious No-Fun Statements". Kotaku. February 18, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  80. ↑ "The Epstein Files Reveal What Powerful People See In Video Games [Update]". Aftermath. February 3, 2026. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  81. ↑ Gach, Ethan (February 3, 2026). "Bobby Kotick Allegedly Emailed With Jeffrey Epstein A Bunch". Kotaku. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  82. ↑ Primack, Dan; Coyne, Marley; Nguyen, Tina (2016). "The New Establishment". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  83. ↑ "Harvard Business Review ranks Nvidia boss Jen-Hsun Huang as a top 10 best-performing CEO". VentureBeat. October 11, 2016. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
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  87. ↑ Maney, Kevin (April 10, 2008). "Game Boy". Portfolio.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2011.
  88. ↑ "Paid Notice: Deaths KOTICK, CHARLES M." New York Times. March 26, 2005. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015.
  89. 1 2 Anguiano, Dani (April 22, 2022). "Sheryl Sandberg allegedly leant on Daily Mail news site to drop stories about ex-boyfriend". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  90. 1 2 Hatmaker, Taylor (April 21, 2022). "Sheryl Sandberg tried to kill a story about Activision CEO". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  91. 1 2 Editor, Brendan Sinclair Managing (April 21, 2022). "Kotick's ex-girlfriend obtained a restraining order against him". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved September 24, 2026. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  92. 1 2 Fritz, Ben; Hagey, Keach; Grind, Kirsten; Glazer, Emily (April 21, 2022). "Meta's Sheryl Sandberg Pressured Daily Mail to Drop Bobby Kotick Reporting". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved September 24, 2026.
  93. ↑ Murphy, Helen; Triggs, Charlotte (May 17, 2019). "Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg and Video Game Billionaire Bobby Kotick Split After 3 Years of Dating". People. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019.
  94. ↑ Chengelis, Angelique S. (May 2, 2018). "Jim Harbaugh reveals donors behind UM's European vacations". Detroit News. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  95. ↑ Mason, Melanie; Moore, Maloy; Pesce, Anthony; Lauder, Thomas Suh (October 22, 2015). "The Hollywood heavyweights funding the 2016 presidential fight". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2015.
  96. ↑ Bond, Paul (June 22, 2011). "'Moneyball': Activision Blizzard's Bobby Kotick Plays Baseball Mogul in Film (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 18, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
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