Activision Blizzard is in the news again Friday, as the UK’s CMA findings spurned a new report that suggests CEO Bobby Kotick will remain company lead should the deal fail.
Activision Blizzard simply cannot stay out of the news for the past two years, as the company has been riddled with controversies ranging from top executives getting let go to SEC investigations into the Blizzard workplace and culminating in the Microsoft attempted buyout of the company for a whopping $68.7 billion dollars announced back in January 2022.
The latest development comes from the UK regulatory CMA branch findings pervading the notion the merger can “harm UK gamers by weakening the important rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation gaming consoles.” Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick previously referred to the UK as “Death Valley” when comparing it to the vision PM Rishi Sunak had of making the UK the “Silicon Valley of Europe.” On the heels of these findings, Fox Business reports that in the event of the merger getting blocked, Bobby Kotick “will absolutely remain at the gaming giant to run the company” as CEO.
Bobby Kotick has been on the front lines of the Activision Blizzard controversy, seemingly since day one when news broke back in the Fall of 2021 about the ‘toxic workplace culture’ cultivated at Blizzard. Since then, there have been many allegations thrown regarding the CEO, including death threats and the notion that he had known about the toxic workplace manifested at Blizzard “for years.” There has even been a petition from the company’s own workforce to oust Kotick as CEO for allowing the culture to remain unchecked for such a long period of time.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported back in January 2022 that Kotick would no longer be CEO if the deal actually succeeds, but as the deal continues to hit roadblocks, only time will tell on what’s next in store for the massive company.
