Now that Microsoft has completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the game publisher's longtime CEO Bobby Kotick has announced that he will be leaving the company sometime before the end of 2023.
Kotick posted on Activision Blizzard's news page that Microsoft Xbox chief Phil Spencer has asked him to continue as CEO for the rest of the year while reporting to him, saying: "We all look forward to working together to achieve a smooth integration for our teams and players."
In 1990, Kotick and his business partner Brian Kelly purchased a certain percentage of Activision stock, and in 1991, Kotick was appointed CEO of the company. Since then, he has helped grow the game publisher into one of the largest in the industry. During his time at the helm of Activision, it launched many notable game franchises such as Crash Bandicoot, Guitar Hero, and of course the Call of Duty series, which has become one of the biggest titles in the video game industry.
In 2008, when Activision merged with Vivendi, which included Blizzard Entertainment, Kotick was the head. The newly combined company was renamed Activision Blizzard, giving the publisher more iconic gaming brands, including the Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo franchises. In 2016, the company expanded again, acquiring mobile game developer and publisher King, adding games such as Candy Crush to its product lineup.
All of these game developers and franchises now belong to Microsoft, making it the largest acquisition in the company's history.
In an email sent to company employees today, Kotick said:
Today marks a milestone in our company's illustrious history. The merger with Microsoft will bring new resources and new opportunities to our extraordinary team around the world. This will also allow us to bring unprecedented fun, joy and connection to more players. This moment is only possible because of your forty years of hard work to innovate, inspire and achieve.
There's no word yet on Kotick's whereabouts after he ultimately leaves Activision Blizzard.