Blizzard CEO: Bobby Kotick aint a bad guy - Polidicks

[URL]http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/03/blizzard-founder-sticks-up-for-activions-bobby-kotick-we-dont.ars[/URL] [quote] Blizzard cofounder Mike Morhaime recently spoke about Activision CEO Bobby Kotick in an interview with MCV, and he had nice things to say about the often-criticized figure. "I have an advantage there because I know Bobby personally and we have very long, in-depth conversations, so my view of him is not limited to small sound bites taken out of context," [URL="http://www.mcvuk.com/features/902/INTERVIEW-Blizzardx"]Morhaime said[/URL]. "I can tell you that Bobby has been very supportive of Blizzard and that we have a great relationship with him. I don't think the public image that some people have of him is fair or accurate." This may be evidence that Kotick isn't the demon we like to portray him as, but it's not surprising that Morhaime is sticking up for him. [B]Blizzard's on top, which is a good place to be[/B] To look at how Kotick runs the Activision empire, we need to look at what happens when franchises or developers don't deliver multiple hits a year. We don't have to dig deep for these examples. Joystiq [URL="http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/23/heroic-sacrifices-the-companies-behind-guitar-hero/"]has a wonderful look[/URL] at all the studios that were bought or created to deal with the hydra that was the [I]Guitar Hero[/I] franchise, and the story paints a grim picture of the fate of many of these developers and their employees. It shows what happens when a company single-mindedly plunders a property of every possible cent before throwing away the people who created the games when the money ran out. The number of studios that were shuttered or suffered layoffs is impressive, all from running a [I]single[/I] franchise into the ground with multiple yearly releases. Or consider [URL="http://www.bizarrecreations.com/"]Bizarre Creations[/URL], one of my personal favorites in the world of racing games. Activision bought the company in 2007, and Bizarre had great things to say about the acquisition. "Bizarre isn't a developer in financial trouble, and we're certainly not looking to be 'saved' by a bigger corporation. We're a dev looking to take our games to the next level, and make the absolute best products we can possibly make," Community Lead Ben Ward said at the time. "Likewise, Activision is not in the business of 'buying out' struggling developers either." In a few short years the company would be shut down by Activision; its last game was a James Bond title that received almost no promotion, and the game before [I]that[/I] was [URL="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/reviews/2010/06/blur-review-fast-intense-released-at-a-bad-time.ars"]a racing title called [I]Blur[/I][/URL] that was released too close to many better-supported racing titles. It's unclear whether these decisions were made by Bizarre or by Activision, but what is clear is that within a very short time of the acquisition, things went south for the developer. Now it's gone, leaving only a depressing farewell video in its wake. [B]Blizzard is left alone[/B] "We wouldn't have been supportive of [the merger] had we believed that Bobby and Activision didn't have an understanding of how special Blizzard entertainment is and weren't supportive of our values," Morhaime said in the interview. "We were convinced that they did and that they were doing this for the right reasons, that the two businesses were complementary and that we wouldn't be giving up our creative autonomy in any way. And that's exactly how it's panned out." I'm sure Activision leaves Blizzard alone and they get to do what they want. After all, [I]World of WarCraft[/I] is the envy of the entire industry; it's a veritable printing press. [URL="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/08/starcraft-2-sales-blitz-a-success-sales-crush-console-games.ars"][I]StarCraft 2[/I] didn't exactly do poorly either[/URL]. Bobby Kotick is a man who loves hits, billion-dollar profits, and world records. If you're delivering these, I'm sure he's a wonderful man to share a few drinks with. But there are plenty of examples out there that show what happens when the hits dry up and yearly sequels lead to an uninspired, tired product. I resent the idea that those of us in the press don't like Kotick because of "out of context quotes." It's true the man has trouble avoiding phrases that [URL="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/09/actiblizzard-ceo-kotick-policy-rewards-profits-removes-fun.ars"]make him sound like a Bond villain[/URL], but it's more likely that we dislike him because we've seen companies we respect ground up in the machine. We dislike him because we dial into earnings calls where he crows about profits and significant liquidity, and then we write about a new wave of layoffs the next day. With [I]Guitar Hero[/I] gone, the Activision empire stands on two legs: [I]Call of Duty[/I] and [I]World of WarCraft[/I]. Mike Morhaime is one of the men in charge of the latter, and his relationship with Bobby Kotick doesn't put him in a position to understand why the CEO is treated so harshly in the press. We're sure there are many reasons to like Kotick, especially if you're a shareholder. What Morhaime should understand is there are equally compelling reasons for Kotick to be despised.[/quote]

....He's still a douche.

What the hell Mike

kotic has brainwashed him in the secret underground bobby cave put them both down, now. for the good of gamers everywhere.

One of the reasons I like Valve is because it's a private owned company so it doesn't have this shareholder shit like Bobby Kotick. Valve wants to deliver a quality service and good games while Activision-Blizzard is more pushed around to squeeze every penny out of our pockets so the shareholders are pleased.

I disagree

[img]http://refurmods.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bobby_kotick_activision.jpg[/img] "Good, my goons are now doing their job"

[QUOTE=PirateMax;28876415]One of the reasons I like Valve is because it's a private owned company so it doesn't have this shareholder shit like Bobby Kotick. Valve wants to deliver a quality service and good games while Activision-Blizzard is more pushed around to squeeze every penny out of our pockets so the shareholders are pleased.[/QUOTE] But if Valve was with Activision, Episode 3 would have been released one week after Half-Life 2.

[QUOTE=Funky Pickle;28876528]But if Valve was with Activision, Episode 3 would have been released one week after Half-Life 2.[/QUOTE] Quality would've suffered though.

Bobby Cocktick

cockdick

[QUOTE=Funky Pickle;28876528]But if Valve was with Activision, Episode 3 would have been released one week after Half-Life 2.[/QUOTE] As Gabe Newell himself once said: A delayed game is delayed for a while, but a bad game is bad forever.

[QUOTE=PirateMax;28877143]As Gabe Newell himself once said: A delayed game is delayed for a while, but a bad game is bad forever.[/QUOTE] didn't miyamoto say that too

Yeah, he's so great that he has multiple sexual harassment lawsuits slapped on him

He has his priorities straight, I mean if I could release $15 DLC and make tons off of it all the time, I would all the time.

Bobby Kotick is first and foremost a businessman, and he's obviously pretty damn good at it. As much as we the consumer hate him and his ilk for turning the game industry into big business, it was inevitable and honestly a natural progression. It was either that or have the game industry collapse and fall into obscurity and niche markets. Now we have a popular industry enjoyed by millions of people across the globe that's shaping our very culture, all of this wouldn't have happened if making video games hadn't been a lucrative endeavor. Yes you can hate him, but you have to also admire how successful he is. Shit I'd love to be where he is today.

You were making millions before he acquired you, of course he's going to tickle your balls.

[QUOTE=SwissArmyKnife;28877509]Yes you can hate him, but you have to also admire how successful he is. Shit I'd love to be where he is today.[/QUOTE] To be where he is, yes. To be [b]WHAT[/b] he is, no,

You can't hate him just because he doesn't follow the good will model like Valve.

Yeah, well, fuck you Bobby Kotick. Oh, and I don't hate him for being a businessman, and making money off of his games. I hate him for his cocky attitude regarding how Blizzard is "the only true gaming company in the world.", like he said.

[QUOTE=MachiniOs;28878062]You can't hate him just because he doesn't follow the good will model like Valve.[/QUOTE] Ugh, yes we can.

[QUOTE=MachiniOs;28878062]You can't hate him just because he doesn't follow the good will model like Valve.[/QUOTE] I can hate someone for any reason I damn well please.

[QUOTE=MachiniOs;28878062]You can't hate him just because he doesn't follow the good will model like Valve.[/QUOTE] I can hate him for providing quantity instead of quality. Then charging people for more quantity while bringing down quality. So yeah, I can hate him for that.

[QUOTE=Funky Pickle;28876528]But if Valve was with Activision, Episode 3 would have been released one week after Half-Life 2.[/QUOTE] No I'm pretty sure we would still be in Black Mesa waiting for the "Ravenholm" DLC to come out. Prolly sold for 60$ too. [QUOTE=SwissArmyKnife;28877509]Bobby Kotick is first and foremost a businessman, and he's obviously pretty damn good at it. As much as we the consumer hate him and his ilk for turning the game industry into big business, it was inevitable and honestly a natural progression. It was either that or have the game industry collapse and fall into obscurity and niche markets. Now we have a popular industry enjoyed by millions of people across the globe that's shaping our very culture, all of this wouldn't have happened if making video games hadn't been a lucrative endeavor. Yes you can hate him, but you have to also admire how successful he is. Shit I'd love to be where he is today.[/QUOTE] No, no, no and no. You go into a market based on a friendly relationship between developers and gamers. You give the gamers middle finger, by selling overhyped, overpriced, mediocre games. You get shitload of money, but then people realize that your games are a disappointment and stop buying them. And you don't have to release a game every year for the price of 60$, and sell 5 DLCs to it to have a profit, see minecraft.

What a douche.

[QUOTE=Silly Sil;28878948]No I'm pretty sure we would still be in Black Mesa waiting for the "Ravenholm" DLC to come out. Prolly sold for 60$ too. No, no, no and no. You go into a market based on a friendly relationship between developers and gamers. You give the gamers middle finger, by selling overhyped, overpriced, mediocre games. You get shitload of money, but then people realize that your games are a disappointment and stop buying them. And you don't have to release a game every year for the price of 60$, and sell 5 DLCs to it to have a profit, see minecraft.[/QUOTE] No no no! Minecraft is an INDY game. It was developed my a small team of.. developers. Activision is a PUBLISHER. They sell games to outlets and other distributors. They are a corporation, ran like one, and exist as one. Blizzard is more like Mojang. except, they're much larger. Therefor, have more expenses. More salaried employees etc. Kotick is basically doing his job. But you're right, he does give gamers the middle finger. But they seem to be okay with it. Anyone see CoD not be a blockbuster?

[QUOTE=Richard Simmons;28879269]No no no! Minecraft is an INDY game. It was developed my a small team of.. developers. Activision is a PUBLISHER. They sell games to outlets and other distributors. They are a corporation, ran like one, and exist as one. Blizzard is more like Mojang. except, they're much larger. Therefor, have more expenses. More salaried employees etc. Kotick is basically doing his job. But you're right, he does give gamers the middle finger. But they seem to be okay with it. Anyone see CoD not be a blockbuster?[/QUOTE] Shitload of people including me is not going to buy anything else from activision, or from treyarch... Guess what game disappointed us.

[QUOTE=Silly Sil;28879342]Shitload of people including me is not going to buy anything else from activision, or from treyarch... Guess what game disappointed us.[/QUOTE] COD? Yeah figured. But you're probably not 14 anymore and scream on xbox live, so activision officially [b]doesn't give a fuck[/b]

I'm sure he's a perfectly nice guy, and he's doing his job (maximizing profits) very well. It's just a shame he had to do this at a cost of a few major franchises and the respect of the wider gaming community.

[QUOTE=SweetSwifter;28878102] I hate him for his cocky attitude regarding how Blizzard is "the only true gaming company in the world.", like he said.[/QUOTE] Valve Valve Valve Valve. (i'm not quoting you because I disagree, I completely agree with your original statement :) )