Activision Blizzard's CEO is a funpire
by Kyle Horner 
Sep 17th 2009 at 9:30AM
Filed under: World of Warcraft, MMO industry, News items
That's not all Bobby Kotick recently said, however. He's also known for this uplifting little diddy, "We have a real culture of thrift. 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." Now that quote may be out of context, but what kind of context can make that look... well, good or even mildly acceptable?
Something smacks of bad omens here. Sure, things are going good right now for the company that puts out Blizzard games and Call of Duty, but when a company's Chief Executive Officer is saying things like, "We are very good at keeping people focused on the deep depression," it may be time to double-check your neck for bite marks and then get the hell out of Irvine.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Arnie said on 9:39AM 9-17-2009
What prompted this weird and out of place on Massively article in the morning. Most serious gamers know Bobby Kottick is a douche so wonder what the point of this article was.
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Apadwe said on 1:34PM 9-17-2009
I think the whole point was just to use that creepy picture. They just need to replace the background with flames and it'll be good to go.
Kdolo said on 3:40PM 9-17-2009
Vampires don't like flames. It causes them Aggravated Damage and sends them into Rötschreck.
Archipelagos said on 9:40AM 9-17-2009
I imagine that he is far from the only big-wig spouting gems of wisdom like that. There is a lot that we will never hear about publically and you can bet your bottom dollar that it's much worse than what this "super special individual" has ever said. This is the world we live in folks.
$ > All.
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Poe said on 9:49AM 9-17-2009
whoa! he looks like a demon from supernatural with those eyes.
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Tom said on 10:46AM 9-17-2009
^^ Those were my thoughts EXACTLY. lol
Aerivia said on 2:05PM 9-17-2009
I was thinking the EXACT same thing! xD
Coriander said on 9:45AM 9-17-2009
I can't remember when I've seen a lazier "article" on this site. Stringing together a couple of out-of-context quotes with some off-hand speculation doesn't substitute for real news or actual journalistic thinking.
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Pedro said on 9:47AM 9-17-2009
Like what you did with his eyes. :D
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Anjohl said on 10:02AM 9-17-2009
This is the same guy who dropped several IP's because they did not have Guitar Heros "Sequelability", and who has gone on record as saying that games are too cheap (Though unfortunately, he is probably correct on that in terms of termket trends).
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Lonewolf said on 9:58AM 9-17-2009
With all the lawsuits being banded around, wouldn't be surprised that Actiblizzard doesn't try and sue Massively for defamation through that image
WATCH OUT!
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Carefor said on 10:06AM 9-17-2009
/devil's advocate mode on
Well, his job is to make profits for shareholders, and he has been pushing that end of his role to the extreme.
Also consider a certain-recent-MMO that had a 'fun' atmosphere that seems to show couches and Rockband set-ups in the breakrooms are not necessarily conducive to good business.
Maybe workers need to....y'know....do some work. Not be entertained.
/da mode off
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Nadril said on 10:40AM 9-17-2009
Except that things such as that are conductive to a better work environment.
Dethgar.com said on 8:08PM 9-17-2009
You forgot to mention that while his workers may work, they've been doing the same damn thing for the last 6 years. Making the same games with the same fluffy content. They haven't exactly been innovators since their last big releases. Just about all their new content is from other games features(this goes for WoW, CoD, and GH).
You are right thought, the Kotick is all about that money, money, yeah yeah.
Wensbane said on 10:15AM 9-17-2009
This is what happens when you go out on expeditions to Z'ha'dum...
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Lateris said on 10:50AM 9-17-2009
Ok, but does he not look like the kid who put his tongue on the pole with the ice on it and it was stuck in to the pole in "A Christmas Story"?
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Bob said on 10:52AM 9-17-2009
I hereby predict Blizzard dominance in world gaming to be at the start of their decline.
All will be sequels from now on, and their new title will flopp.
In 5 years, Bioware will be the big thing with EA in their backs.
Then we get the current EA director at the time saying something 99% alike to this, and we have the same thing going again and again.
Well, at least there is something good comming out of this. We'll never really get gaming monopoly. The directors drive for money just ruins the fun out of it.
And guess what!? Gaming is about "fun".
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Wjowski said on 11:03AM 9-17-2009
In five years, Bioware'll be lucky if they don't end up being subsumed into EA Canada or something.
Neurotic said on 11:20AM 9-17-2009
Surely this guy is kidding around when he says things like that? :O
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Psychotic Storm said on 11:53AM 9-17-2009
No but in his defence and probably in the defence of most CEO, he is just a guy that finished management and got the reigns of a company, hence the economic state, if you educate people to be managers instead of taking the natural selection and evolving them from inside the company you are bound to end up with such statements.
He probably has no real understanding how his company works, how the consumers work and what is his place as public front of the company and how such statements might sound good in the ears of investors, that usually want money and don't really understand what the company they invested money on really does, yes it makes "computer games" but do you know what these things are?, but it hurts the public face of the company in their consumers audience.
its a sad truth that the state of economy is as it is because people like him are in these positions.