With Microsoft deal done, longtime Activision CEO Bobby Kotick says farewell

Longtime Activision Blizzard Chief Executive is set to leave the company, a little over two months after its acquisition by Microsoft Corp.

In an email to employees that the videogame company made public, Kotick looked back with nostalgia on his 32-year tenure and thanked employees “who contributed tirelessly to building this company.”

According to a separate memo obtained by The Verge, his last day will be Dec. 29.

“You have transformed a hobbyist form of entertainment into the world’s most engaging medium,” Kotick said in his farewell email, adding that one of the most important parts of his job was to “foster an environment that encourages inspiration, creativity, and unwavering commitment to excellence.”

Last week, Activision agreed to pay nearly $55 million to settle a California civil-rights lawsuit that had initially claimed a pervasive, toxic culture at the company, including complaints of widespread sexual harassment, discrimination and pay disparity.

Activision denied the allegations, and the workplace harassment claims were dropped from the final, amended complaint. In 2021, Kotick admitted a “tone deaf” response to the claims — which prompted walkouts in the summer of 2021 — as he vowed to improve working conditions.

A new CEO has not yet been named, but The Verge reported that most of Activision’s executive team will remain intact as the company is absorbed into Microsoft’s gaming business.

Activision produces popular videogames such as “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft.” Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of the company closed in mid-October, after a nearly two-year regulatory fight.

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