In a candid discussion on the Grit podcast, former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick didn't hold back his opinions on ex-EA CEO John Riccitiello, labeling him as "the worst CEO in video games." Joined by former EA chief creative officer Bing Gordon, who suggested Riccitiello's leadership contributed to his exit, Kotick acknowledged that EA's business model was in many ways superior to Activision's. However, he humorously remarked that they "would have paid for Riccitiello to stay a CEO forever," highlighting their view of his ineffective leadership.
Riccitiello, who led EA from 2007 to 2013, left amid financial struggles and significant layoffs. His tenure was marked by controversial proposals, such as suggesting that Battlefield players pay a dollar to reload their guns. After leaving EA, Riccitiello took the helm at Unity Technologies in 2014, but his time there ended in 2023 following a major backlash over proposed install fees. His leadership at Unity was also controversial, notably when he referred to developers who didn't embrace microtransactions as "the biggest f*cking idiots."
Kotick, who oversaw Activision Blizzard's acquisition by Microsoft in 2023 for a staggering $68.7 billion, revealed that EA had made multiple attempts to acquire Activision. He praised EA's business as more stable than Activision's, despite the latter's financial success under his leadership. However, Kotick's tenure was not without its controversies, including allegations of a toxic work culture and sexism, culminating in a $54 million settlement with California's Civil Rights Department in December 2023. The settlement concluded that no systemic sexual harassment or improper handling of misconduct by the board, including Kotick, was substantiated.
In the same interview, Kotick also critiqued Universal's 2016 adaptation of Activision Blizzard's Warcraft, bluntly calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen."
Former EA CEO John Riccitiello. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
Ex-Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick. Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.
