Support NeoGAF

[Lions Gate]

Workers Share Bobby Kotick Horror Stories After He Finally Leaves Activision Blizzard

Current and former Activision Blizzard employees share their Bobby Kotick horror stories, including the time he threatened his assistant.

www.thegamer.com

so many red flags

 

[mansoor1980]

followed by alanah pearce.....................

 

[damidu]

lol that andy guy can ask bethesda about how their new overlords love to handle steam reviews.

 

[Joramun]

Workers Share Bobby Kotick Horror Stories After He Finally Leaves Activision Blizzard

Current and former Activision Blizzard employees share their Bobby Kotick horror stories, including the time he threatened his assistant.

www.thegamer.com

Bobby Kotick is a dick. But please take everything anyone on twitter says with a grain of salt.

Especially from men who think they have PMS/periods.

This guy is COOKED.

From his tumblr:

it’s a strange thing to go from experiencing no PMS ever to all of a sudden being brutalized by it

it’s not that i didn’t believe people’s experiences of it - of course i did. but good lord experiencing it in first person is beyond anything i’d imagined

chhopsky

video game making person working on a AAA sci-fi adventure in Unreal Engine 5. also writing horny...

chhopsky.tumblr.com

People need to stop indulging/amplifying/encouraging mental instability.

 

[FalconPunch]

Bunch of whiners lol. It’s a job, if you don’t like it, leave. They didn’t leave but instead stayed to suck the teet of Activision and pay their bills. Now that he left, you wanna talk all macho. Personally, if I were the one taking over after Bobby, I’d let go of those who speak out. You know they’re just going to be troublemakers. Someone else said it best, the life of a coward.

 

[Lions Gate]

Bobby Kotick is a dick. But please take everything anyone on twitter says with a grain of salt.

Especially from men who think they have PMS/periods.

This guy is COOKED.

From his tumblr:

it’s a strange thing to go from experiencing no PMS ever to all of a sudden being brutalized by it

it’s not that i didn’t believe people’s experiences of it - of course i did. but good lord experiencing it in first person is beyond anything i’d imagined

chhopsky

video game making person working on a AAA sci-fi adventure in Unreal Engine 5. also writing horny...

chhopsky.tumblr.com

People need to stop indulging/amplifying/encouraging mental instability.

that's a dude?

 

[reinking]

Why are so many people defending Kotick? I think most agree that Acti-Blizz had some real issues. Prior to the MS acquisition people were calling for him to be fired.

 

[havoc00]

Why are so many people defending Kotick? I think most agree that Acti-Blizz had some real issues. Prior to the MS acquisition people were calling for him to be fired.

Hes a gamer just like us, and he doesn't take any crap from those purple haired weirdos in the industry

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

You can’t have morals in a capitalist society.

Right? I wish we'd have more moral societies. Like Iran. Or communist russia. Or Hitlers Germany. Everytime capitalism is thrown out the window societies become more moral. It is known.

 

[Calverz]

Right? I wish we'd have more moral societies. Like Iran. Or communist russia. Or Hitlers Germany. Everytime capitalism is thrown out the window societies become more moral. It is known.

I never said that though?

 

[GnomeChimpsky]

Bobby Kotick is a dick. But please take everything anyone on twitter says with a grain of salt.

Especially from men who think they have PMS/periods.

This guy is COOKED.

From his tumblr:

it’s a strange thing to go from experiencing no PMS ever to all of a sudden being brutalized by it

it’s not that i didn’t believe people’s experiences of it - of course i did. but good lord experiencing it in first person is beyond anything i’d imagined

chhopsky

video game making person working on a AAA sci-fi adventure in Unreal Engine 5. also writing horny...

chhopsky.tumblr.com

People need to stop indulging/amplifying/encouraging mental instability.

Who wouldn't want this person as a colleague?

 

[Mister Wolf]

Bobby Kotick is a dick. But please take everything anyone on twitter says with a grain of salt.

Especially from men who think they have PMS/periods.

This guy is COOKED.

From his tumblr:

it’s a strange thing to go from experiencing no PMS ever to all of a sudden being brutalized by it

it’s not that i didn’t believe people’s experiences of it - of course i did. but good lord experiencing it in first person is beyond anything i’d imagined

chhopsky

video game making person working on a AAA sci-fi adventure in Unreal Engine 5. also writing horny...

chhopsky.tumblr.com

People need to stop indulging/amplifying/encouraging mental instability.

Never cater to the delusions of the mentally ill.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

If people dont like working at a company and hate the CEO, then quit. Find another job. I quit my past job for my current job because I didn;t like my boss. Doesn't seem hard to me to get another job. Just brush up the resume, do interviews while calling in sick and go to the other company in 2-3 weeks.

But just like companies following the money selling as much product as possible, whiney people are no different. They stick around for a pay cheque.

So you can see both commoner and company put money over ethics.

 

[akaFullmetal]

Hopefully we will see good stuff from new leadership.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

so many red flags

Vancouver BC is another red flag. Compared to the rest of Canada, if you want to go to the province whose the biggest into drugs, head west. And compared to every other worker in various provinces I've worked with for over 20 years they are always the loudest, while the people in the Calgary, Montreal and Halifax are always chill.

One thing I've noticed is that the people working in the Maritimes are consistently the most chill and friendly coworkers.

 

[FoxMcChief]

But we don't support those greedy businessmen either, we better support talented studios like Vanillaware, Larian or those that do have good intentions with the players.

I support companies that sell me stuff I want. I don’t care much about their stories.

 

[FoxMcChief]

What will they say about Uncle Phil when he steps down I wonder.

Who really cares?

 

[Killjoy-NL]

I dunno, they come across as woke, overly sensitive snowflakes.

 

[SJRB]

I dunno, they come across as woke, overly sensitive snowflakes.

No, no, the CEO of this billion dollar company literally wants to have an employee assassinated but this brave person stood up in front of a group of 200 of his peers and prevented this senseless violence.

You know, because Activision is pretty much run like Arasaka where employees just get straight up murdered if they mess up.

 

[newtypepilot]

yes, bobby is a scumbag but that first tweet is super sus, especially from someone calling themselves as 死神 (death god).


Can we get a petition to stop using twitter as news???

 

[T-0800]

And still... People buy the games.

You think the COD audience even know who he is? They don't.

 

[Diddy X]

Sounds like butthurt

 

[[Sigma]]

They are some good games..

 

[Dr.Morris79]

With him gone I bet it's soy lattes all round

Can't wait for the They/Thems in CoD now.

 

[cireza]

Always be careful of people reaching out on the internet saying things that are impossible to verify.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Why are so many people defending Kotick? I think most agree that Acti-Blizz had some real issues. Prior to the MS acquisition people were calling for him to be fired.

It is not about defending Kotick. You can blame him what whatever he has done but it does not mean you should believe people...with issues.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Always be careful of people reaching out on the internet saying things that are impossible to verify.

You would think we'd learn this by now. Especially from these mental patient narcissists.

 

[DinoD]

With him gone I bet it's soy lattes all round

Can't wait for the They/Thems in CoD now.

Should at least increase the hit ratio?

 

[Drake]

C-levels really are the worst. Look, I'm not someone who gonna take a dig at our current economic system, because I think it's the best, but you have the keep these mother fuckers at the top level in check. I work for a software company where the CEO wanted to put tracking software on everyone's laptop. There was literally an employee revolt with people directly calling out the CEO in an all-hands. Finally the CEO/HR had to put their tail between their legs and reverse the decision about the software. It was glorious.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

Should at least increase the hit ratio?

Now that I would like

 

[RavageX]

So I am definitely not a Bobby fan, but these complaints from these particular people....yeah.

Again, if these are the kinda folks that are getting hired in the industry, what the hell am I waiting for?

 

[Fake]

And always Twitter... the same patern every fucking time.

 

[Alexios]

Poor taste and if they're still working there (and if they're not then again why wait until he's gone) red flag for any future bosses anyway.

Anyway, wasn't there some potential crime/scandal involving Activision Blizzard then it was just forgotten over the MS buyout or what?

Edit: ok yeah harassment stuff he was supposedly aware of, there were staff walkouts and stuff, MS was like well we probably won't keep him if we buyout, but I guess things were forgotten over that and eventually they were openly talking about their good collaboration/keeping him on for a bit.

 

[GHG]

that's a dude?

Get with the programme Lionstina.

 

[Perrott]

Nice, very nice indeed.

Maybe Sony should consider hiring Bobby as Jim's replacement.

 

[Pejo]

Boy it's like a race to the bottom to see who I could like less. A/B employees or Kotick.

Not that Bobby is unable to defend himself of the allegations or anything, but I liken this information to people that wait until somebody dies to start airing their grievances with them. Cowardly and self serving.

 

[DeceptiveAlarm]

Who wouldn't want this person as a colleague?

I'll take 12 of Bobby over 1 of these people any day.

 

[E-Cat]

'nuff said.

 

[Joshmyersbv]

Bobby leaves with a dignified farewell letter... and the pronoun cult comes out like cowardice vipers. Shows a contrasts in the character of these people and between this and the Insomniac DEI thread, western gaming has a massive problem.

Unfortunately it's a problem that may never get fixed. We're on the precipice of western gaming as we use to know it, dying. I would say that this is the beginning if it was but we're long past that.

What makes it worse is that someone interviewed these people and thought they were right for the job. So as long as the people who are involved in the hiring process continue to work in video game development. Things like this will never change.

 

[Ozzie666]

Guys sounds like an absolute treasure and prick. No matter what people think of him though, he got shit done. They are going to miss him and the next person in charge is going to struggle. Just look at most Xbox studious now and the lack of production.

Did Activsion not have a real HR department or something? You can't go around threatening to kill people, no matter your position.

Nerd alert. Reminds me of what happened to the Empire in Star Wars when the Emperor died. The empire fell apart without the strict guiding hand and single voice steering the ship. Activision will not be the same juggernaught.

 

[Topher]

Who really cares?

 

[Kilau]

so i demanded his firing in front of everyone

And then the whole room clapped.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

'nuff said.

Thought as much

Here comes the comedy and tanking stocks

 

[drotahorror]

Hopefully Bobby boy made sure they’re all up to to date with their vaccinations.

 

[elco]

You can't go around threatening to kill people, no matter your position.

Any deets on the threat? Judging the accuser just on their hair color alone, I have my doubts whether most people would agree that this was a threat. According to the community this person likely comes from, me not wanting their agenda pushed in my entertainment necessarily means that I'm for genocide of their people.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Any deets on the threat? Judging the accuser just on their hair color alone, I have my doubts whether most people would agree that this was a threat. According to the community this person likely comes from, me not wanting their agenda pushed in my entertainment necessarily means that I'm for genocide of their people.

From his massive list of attention whoring social media links. Twitch pic. Who would believe this person saying Bobby Kotick made an employee death threat? LOL

If the threat was real and someone is minutes away from getting whacked by Bobby's hitmen, go call the cops.

 

[kiphalfton]

Christina looks like "one of those people".

Just saying.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

Who would believe this person saying Bobby Kotick made an employee death threat?

I realise now that this is a transphobia thread, but it's not difficult to find other sources.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick threatened to have his former assistant killed, according to a bombshell new investigation

In 2006, Kotick threatened to have his assistant killed in a voicemail, the WSJ reported. The dispute is said to have been settled out of court.

www.businessinsider.com

More shocking Activision Blizzard revelations: Bobby Kotick once told an assistant he was going to have her killed

A new report in the Wall Street Journal paints an unflattering picture of Activision-Blizzard

www.pcgamer.com

Activision Blizzard CEO once threatened to have his assistant killed: report

In 2006, one of Activision CEO Bobby Kotick’s assistants complained that he had harassed her and even threatened in a voicemail to have her killed, the Wall Street Journal reported.

nypost.com

 

[DeepEnigma]

Nobody is afraid of loonies on twitter.

There is no 'phobia.'

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I realise now that this is a transphobia thread, but it's not difficult to find other sources.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick threatened to have his former assistant killed, according to a bombshell new investigation

In 2006, Kotick threatened to have his assistant killed in a voicemail, the WSJ reported. The dispute is said to have been settled out of court.

www.businessinsider.com

More shocking Activision Blizzard revelations: Bobby Kotick once told an assistant he was going to have her killed

A new report in the Wall Street Journal paints an unflattering picture of Activision-Blizzard

www.pcgamer.com

Activision Blizzard CEO once threatened to have his assistant killed: report

In 2006, one of Activision CEO Bobby Kotick’s assistants complained that he had harassed her and even threatened in a voicemail to have her killed, the Wall Street Journal reported.

nypost.com

“Mr. Kotick quickly apologized 16 years ago for the obviously hyperbolic and inappropriate voice mail, and he deeply regrets the exaggeration and tone in his voice mail to this day,” an Activision spokeswoman told the Journal.

If it was that serious, it wouldnt be solved with an out of court settlement because nothing would stop Bobby from still getting her killed.

I'm pretty sure my coworkers or bosses have been riled up in meetings and have said he/she is going to kick the crap out of my me if I didn't finish a task. It's tongue and cheek and not meant to be literal. If the person really thinks Bobby K serious about killing her by leaving a voice message, she's got to be the dumbest person around.

Just to show Bobby and Co's antics arent even that serious, you still got all these people working there for years. If it's such a bad company then quit and stop being oppressed by Activision's bad corporate culture.