Microsoft Merger Officially Closed - Bobby Kotick to Stay on Throughout 2023

Blizzard Posted 2023/10/13 at 9:25 AM by Archimtiros

21-month struggle with regulatorshis desire to remain working with Microsoft

Bobby Kotick

Team,

Today marks a milestone in our company’s celebrated history.

Combining with Microsoft will bring new resources and new opportunities to our extraordinary teams worldwide. It will also enable us to deliver more fun, more joy, and more connection to more players than ever before.

This moment is possible because of your efforts over four decades to innovate, inspire, and achieve.

When Brian Kelly and I began this journey in 1991, we intended to build a company that would have great impact and lasting value. Your tireless work and unwavering commitment to excellence enabled us to do just that. In the 1980s, we pioneered independent, third-party game development with Pitfall, River Raid, and Kaboom. In the 1990s, we united the world with online multiplayer games like MechWarrior, Warcraft, and StarCraft. In the 2000s, we introduced Call of Duty, which became one of the most successful entertainment franchises in history. We also introduced Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, which entered popular culture in ways few videogames ever have. In the 2010s, we debuted Candy Crush Saga, which to date has been downloaded more than five billion times and contributed to our total worldwide players being fifty percent female.

Your dedication is what makes it possible for us to continually push envelopes, break records, and delight players. Amid the uncertainty of the last 21 months, you’ve remained focused, as always, on serving our players and supporting each other.

I have long said that I am fully committed to helping with the transition. Phil has asked me to stay on as CEO of ABK, reporting to him, and we have agreed that I will do that through the end of 2023. We both look forward to working together on a smooth integration for our teams and players.

Brian and I couldn’t be more excited for the next chapter for ABK. We now join one of the most successful global companies, poised for unprecedented opportunities to connect the world through our games.

As a part of Microsoft, we will be even better, together.

Bobby
his own message to Microsoft employees

Our Next Adventure

It’s a big day for us at Activision Blizzard. For more than four decades, our players have inspired us to push the boundaries of imagination with iconic universes including Call of Duty, Candy Crush Saga, Crash Bandicoot, Diablo, Overwatch, and Warcraft.

Today we begin a new chapter as we officially become a part of the Microsoft family, uniting with the amazing Xbox team and co-creating the future of gaming together.

In our earliest days we were a modest collective of designers who raided rivers, commanded choppers, and avoided pitfalls. Now as part of Xbox, we will continue our mission to deliver the world’s most epic interactive entertainment experiences to more people, more platforms, and across more worlds than ever before.

All of our history and success leading to this moment is because of you, our incredible gaming community.

To the reapers, fighters, rogues, and airstrikers,
The sharpshooters, revivers, healers, and bubble bursters,
Sorcerers, shamans, slayers, and survivors,

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for playing with us. We do everything we do for you, and we can't wait to embark on our next adventure together.

–The team at Activision Blizzard

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Comment by Francoportowe won't miss youComment by Lyleash
reminder, this commenter wasnt here when literally everyone hated metzen for ruining the story during cata and now everyone is happy hes back lmao talk about people with short term memoryComment by ImateapotHe's probably getting a #$%^ ton of money and doesn't have to resign or get fired in disgrace. Bobby owned us all.Comment by KolplerFerriCEO? Whatever a CEO actually is good for.

I am more interested in what will happen next with WoW as a consequence of the merger.Comment by Rainy89He straight up looks like GallywixComment by DontrelleRooseveAw, man... and they were THAT close to staying open. I can't believe all these companies are closing their doors.Comment by RegaderitaCan't wait for him to be replaced by someone with identical goals and values but with less baggage. If I didn't know better there might be problems with large companies as a concept that extend past whoever's in charge of them.Comment by NaztakHe's probably getting a #$%^ ton of money and doesn't have to resign or get fired in disgrace. Bobby owned us all.Comment by jetillianMicrosoft has such a good track record of how it handles it's companies (sarcasm, by the way).

Now they own some of the largest pieces of the pie in regards to game space. Let's see if they do anything at all and produce games/support ABK.

Bye Bobby. We know you're guilty for many things and too rich to "fail" (or be caught for your deeds). We know this won't affect you ultimately or your wealth. We just know at least you can't continue to do wrong by people who get you that money in the first place: the workers, the developers, the staff, those who work tirelessly and daily for a job (of which they wish to be passionate about, and could barely afford to live).

Don't let the door hit you on the way out along with that fat buyout bonus you'll buy yet another yacht with.

Ball's in MS' court. Just because one evil is going out the door, doing nothing or restructuring is a possibility for ABK to languish. Stay aware, informed, and support the devs.Comment by VynathlonIn the 1990s, we united the world with online multiplayer games like MechWarrior, Warcraft, and StarCraft.Comment by ikechiI hope they don't take any steps to prevent the games from running on linux, like Microsoft often doesComment by melasomajust get rid of him...Comment by FkuimbatmanNa Na Na Na...Na Na Na Na...Hey Hey Hey...GoodbyeComment by SinlightsGood riddance to this sexual-abuse-tolerating dip&*!@.
I hope he chokes on his $400m in stocks.Comment by deadjames^&*! you Bobby, au revoir!Comment by MetaAbolitionistHaving Bobby on staff is way too high of a liability for Microsoft, I really do hope they get rid of him as quickly as possible.

Between protecting a culture of sexual violence and threatening to have his own staff murdered/ assassinated, this monster belongs behind bars, not in an executive leadership position. Heck, that's only the stuff that's worked itself into the public eye, I'd be willing to bet he's somehow even worse than we know.Comment by IceWolfDKWont be long before the players latch onto another figure as the digital antichrist and goes off about QQsprees of how they must leave to save the -game-.

Nothing unites like a conivient scapegoat, history have proven that all too well.Comment by PoromaniaIt's over at last, Chinese players have waited this day for nine and a half months. Hope the games can come back to China soon.Comment by yager05I don't even care about the merger, just screw Bobby. The dude is a cist on the video game market.Comment by HagersenAs much as im happy that Bobby is gone im kind of worried that there is a chance that they hire the now former ceo of unity in as a replacement for him :`D

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