Ever since the shock announcement that Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard, the entire history has been left with more questions than answers. While many centre around the future of various IPs, the most pressing matter concerns what this deal means for the investigation into alleged abuse at the company. Unfortunately, according to anonymous employees, Kotick isn't addressing any of these questions anytime soon.
As reported by The Washington Post, Kotick held a virtual fireside chat Thursday morning. Despite all the questions workers have, there was no way for them to ask Kotick directly. Instead, he read through pre-selected questions via email, and did not mention the abuse allegations at all. Instead, he is said to have only focussed on games and the metaverse, and even joked around about not having to use Microsoft Teams before leaving the meeting much earlier than advertised.
Speaking to The Washington Post anonymously, worker expressed their disappointment in how the meeting went. "All the fear and anger felt is still tied up in Bobby Kotick and what harm he will inflict until the torch is passed to Microsoft", said one employee.
"He likened Activision to be as important as his children, and I feel like he will not let go of it. With no mention of the strike, the lawsuit or any of the continuing issues, there may as well have not been a Q&A at all. We could’ve read a press release and slept an extra 15 minutes."#
The meeting was scheduled to last half an hour, but Kotick left after 16 minutes – having already arrived seven minutes late. Furthermore, it adds to the confusion concerning Kotick's position at the company. Reports have been conflicting on this issue, but Kotick certainly sounds like he wants to stick around. As the anonymous employee mentioned, he apparently likened Activision to his own children, and said “I can tell you that my commitment to the company is [to] remain in my role." He continues: "Once the deal closes, what I’ve committed to Microsoft is I will stay as long as is necessary to ensure that we have a great integration and a great transition.”
The merger will still need to be approved before it can go ahead. Despite some comments from a union urging the regulators to "carefully consider" whether the deal is good for workers, there has been no major pushback so far.
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