Bobby Kotick Declares Former EA Boss John Riccitiello 'Worst CEO in Video Games'

Bobby Kotick, former CEO of Activision Blizzard, recently slammed his EA counterpart, John Riccitiello, labeling him "the worst CEO in video games" during a podcast appearance on Grit. While acknowledging EA's superior business stability compared to Activision's, Kotick stated he'd have paid to keep Riccitiello in the CEO role indefinitely. This, he clarified, wasn't a personal attack on Riccitiello but stemmed from a fear that Bing Gordon, EA's former chief creative officer, might ascend to the top position.

Riccitiello's departure from EA in 2013 followed a period of financial struggles and layoffs. His tenure, marked by controversial decisions (including a proposal to charge players for reloading in Battlefield), ended with his resignation from Unity Technologies in 2023 amidst a significant controversy over installation fees. He also infamously apologized for referring to developers resistant to microtransactions as "the biggest f*cking idiots."

Kotick, who oversaw Activision Blizzard's $68.7 billion acquisition by Microsoft in 2023, revealed EA's multiple attempts to acquire Activision Blizzard. He admitted that EA's business model, at times, appeared stronger and more stable than Activision's.

Kotick's own leadership, while marked by financial success, was also embroiled in controversy. Allegations of sexism, a toxic work environment, and mishandling of serious misconduct claims surfaced. While Activision Blizzard maintained that independent reviews found these allegations unsubstantiated, a $54 million settlement was reached with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2023. The settlement stated that no court or independent investigation substantiated claims of widespread sexual harassment or improper board handling of misconduct.

In the same interview, Kotick also criticized the 2016 Warcraft film adaptation, deeming it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen."