Kill Screen 10: The Plague That is Bobby Kotick

March 5, 2010 | 9:17 AM PST

by: Tony DaSilva

Several of us are surprised by Activision's present day fiasco with Infinity Ward. Why? Bobby Kotick's the CEO of Activision, a CEO that hasn't tried to hide how he feels about his audience one bit. He's showed this on numerous occasions. For example, he tried to stop the release of Tim Schafer's Brutal Legend through a lawsuit (long story). He's also spoken in detail about his feelings on the gaming industry, people in it, and his company.

"The goal that I had in bringing a lot of the packaged goods folks into Activision about 10 years ago," Kotick said at the Deutsche Bank Securities Technology Conference in San Francisco, "was to take all the fun out of making videogames."

Bobby also hasn't been shy about his bottom line. At the same conference he spoke about the employee incentive program he had changed that "really rewards profit and nothing else."

During Activision Blizzard's Q2 financial results conference in 2009, Bobby was asked about the high priced controllers (music gaming instruments) in the market. Not only did he not show sympathy, but he went further.

"If it was left to me, I would raise the prices even further," Kotick said.

Put yourself in a different life, brain, and skin. You're now a corporate ladder climber, not a gamer. The game for you is to get the top of that ladder, a lengthy ladder that has a pile of cash and power at its end. Along the way you try out a few different ladders that aren't as long, until you find the best one. That "one," just happens to be one of the largest in all of videogame land: Activision. But you're not a gamer at all. In fact, you probably don't have a thing in common with them. And why should you? You've paid your dues. You've put in the long hours. You've perfected the decision making that goes along with such a prestigious title.

This is the world of Bobby Kotick. He's sly and devilish in the eyes of gamers, but have we forgotten how our corporate America works? Bobby does not answer to us, the gamers, the fans, or his conscience, but to his stockholders. This has caught most of us off guard. Most of the game studios we read about have true gamers in high places like Valve, Bioware, or Bethesda. They have a sense of pride, respect gamers, and want to represent the industry well. They care.

The gaming industry is massive these days. With that comes the leadership that we see throughout our landscape from Wall Street types to oil tycoons. Where the money dwells the ladder climbers will climb. They'll find these niches, put out a firm handshake, and never look back. Not even after the first 15 million.

Unfortunately for us, Bobby found our ladder a long time ago. He's corrupting our childhood innocence and in turn putting the future of the gaming industry into jeopardy. We feel connected to it and compatible with it. An old friend from yesteryear that suddenly feels threatened. We feel threatened. We're angry.

Bobby has decided to open up the flood gates on all of us. These flood gates are washing away the innocence and respect we have held in ourselves and in an industry run by us. But what Bobby may not have been aware of is that we are a united front. Sure, we'll argue on a message board for a week about which is the best console, but only because we care so much. At the end of all of that bickering, we have a common ground that we all know lies within us. There's an unspoken friendship that allows us to argue out our differences and come out unscathed. It's our love of gaming. It bonds us tightly.

Bobby has made our ladder frail. It's weight being tested with unbridled greed and disrespect. He has no idea what we're capable of, what we've been through, or even who the hell we are. Being a gamer isn't something you decide one day to become, but rather something you wake up and realize is a part of you. It's who are. We are. He doesn't understand this. He's testing us. How far will he go until we decide to kick him off? He's killing the innocence in all of us and it's us who have to feel the loss, disconnectedness, and disappointment. Not him.

I don't identify the entire company of Activision with this man, but I feel sorry for it because of him. It's a company being lead by a man who's said he encourages, "skepticism, pessimism, and fear."

You've climbed too high after all these years, Bobby. Don't try to convince us that you're virtuous either. We're not stupid. We just have to decide what to do with you. We see you on top of our ladder smiling down at us. Finally, all of us see you up there. We're mad. We're coming for you, Bobby. Now it's your turn to be scared.

http://www.kombo.com/article.php?artid=14264

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Wow this article is badass !

Like I said in the title.. Really the last lines.. Badass!

Yeah, this guy is horrible. I can't stand him. I bought MW2 because I had heard Infinity Ward was given full authority over its production and were not even required to show any of it to Activision until it was finished, meaning it was being made like IW was still an independent studio.

But the recent firings of IW's leading minds, the comments Kotick has made about the importance of the bottom line, and the cookie cutter approach he wants to take to making games has really turned me off to anything with Activision's logo on it. I know many share my views.

Unfortunately, people will continue to buy Activision's games. There is a vocal minority that knows what Activision is all about and will not buy their games based solely on some of Kotick's stupid comments, but that's not the standard gamer. The standard gamer will buy anything that says Call of Duty on the front. The standard gamer doesn't do the research before playing or buying a game. And that's why Kotick's comments and actions will go largely unpunished and without any kind of consequence whatsoever. People will buy their games no matter what.

He's certainly not endangering the future of the industry. Activision is definitely headed towards a long-term cliff, and they are going to feel the sting soon enough. We've already seen the declining music game sales, World of Warcraft isn't growing anymore, and they're tampering drastically with the elements of Call of Duty's success.

The only way he could "endanger the future of the industry" is if his tactics were conducive to long-term success. They are not.

In any case, the article is both right and wrong.. It's certainly right in that many "gamers" has started to notice what's going on with activision.. But like you said @ Domicinator, casual gamers are yet to be made aware of these things. They might hear through rumors about the layoffs at infinity ward though.. Question is if it matters to them enough not to get the next call of duty game.. It's likely that it wont.

I certainly won't be buying or using their products. So far thats about one game which I would have otherwise purchased which I won't (Modern Warfare 2). Thats all I can do, make effect their bottom line in the only way I can.