EA Ex-CEO Riccitiello Slammed by Activision Blizzard Head

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick recently slammed his counterpart at EA, John Riccitiello, labeling him "the worst CEO in video games" during a podcast interview on Grit. While acknowledging EA's superior business stability compared to Activision's, Kotick stated he'd have paid to keep Riccitiello from ever leading EA. This, he clarified, wasn't a personal attack but stemmed from a fear that Bing Gordon, EA's former chief creative officer, might assume the helm.

Riccitiello's departure from EA in 2013 followed disappointing financial performance and significant layoffs. His tenure, which began in 2007, included controversial proposals, such as charging players for ammunition reloads in Battlefield. He later led Unity Technologies, leaving in 2023 amidst controversy over installation fees. His time at Unity also saw him apologize for his insensitive comments about developers who resisted microtransactions.

Kotick, who oversaw Activision Blizzard's $68.7 billion acquisition by Microsoft in 2023, revealed that EA had made multiple attempts to acquire Activision Blizzard. He admitted that EA's business model, in many respects, was superior to Activision's.

Kotick's own leadership at Activision Blizzard, while financially successful, was also plagued by controversy. Allegations of sexism, a toxic work environment, and mishandling of serious misconduct claims surfaced. While Activision Blizzard maintains that independent reviews found these claims unsubstantiated, a $54 million settlement was reached with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2023.

The interview also saw Kotick express his disdain for Universal's 2016 Warcraft film adaptation, calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen."