Bobby Kotick set to leave Activision at end of 2023 with enormous payday

With the closure of the Microsoft and ABK acquisition, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has suggested he will be leaving the company at the end of 2023. He has, however, already received a lucrative payday.

Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has closed after an over-a-year-long saga. The endless speculation, amendments, and corporate drama is now over for the most part. From today, Call of Duty, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush can be considered Xbox first-party titles. 

Questions of Bobby Kotick’s future have swirled since the bid was accepted last year. The CEO has come under fire in recent years for the company’s monetization strategies across games, demanding more games from Blizzard, and allegedly failing to act on significant reports of sexual harassment from people with positions of power at Activision Blizzard.

We now have confirmation of his fate. In a letter to employees, he explained: “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 now join one of the most successful global companies, poised for unprecedented opportunities to connect the world through our games.”

Kotick leaving but made a lot of money from deal closing

That said, Kotick isn’t leaving without a gargantuan payday. As reported by the BBC, Kotick is in line to receive almost half a billion from the acquisition being finalized.

“Microsoft is paying cash for Activision at a premium price of $95 per share, meaning the chief executive of the World of Warcraft maker, Bobby Kotick, is set for a $400m payday, with chairman Brian Kelly earning $100m, based on the shares they own,” the BBC said.

It’s also not clear if this is the total Kotick will receive, or if he will receive further compensation after stepping down. How this will affect popular franchises, it’s hard to say, but some blame Kotick for the alleged toxic work culture and monetization tactics that many players argue have made gaming worse. Only time will tell if those complaints are alleviated with the Microsoft takeover.