Bobby Kotick “We Will Not Allow Sony’s Disappointing Behavior To Affect Our Long Term Relationship”

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick was quick to add his thoughts on the updated circumstances in a letter sent to Activision employees on Tuesday, one in which he called Sony’s behavior over the Xbox/Activision deal “disappointing,” but something for which they wouldn’t hold a grudge against Playstation’s parent company.

“We all know our passionate players would be the first to hold Microsoft accountable for keeping its promises of content and quality parity,” Kotick said in the letter to employees regarding the Xbox/Activision Blizzard deal. “And, all of us who work so hard to deliver the best games in our industry care too deeply about our players to ever launch sub-par versions of our games.”

[M3talDiamond]

What about his Disappointing Behavior

[Snookies12]

Wait, who actually disagreed with you? Lol! Someone on the internet actually likes this guy!?

[The3faces]

It isn't about who likes Kotick as it's well documented he's a A$$hole but let's not deflect the subject matter to shield Sony, as they have acted like a spoiled child trying to sabotage the merger but that will quickly be forgotten because we all know business is business and dollar signs matter most of all

[CobraKai]

Going down the comments, it actually does seem like 5-6 people condone his behavior.

[LordoftheCritics]

''We Will Not Allow Sony’s Disappointing Behavior To Affect Our Game Sales Monies we get from Sony.
Frands for life.''

/fixed

[rlow1]

Yeah it’s probably the people that are going to profit off of this deal.

[Eonjay]

@The3faces

I actually agree with everything you said except for the part about it being forgotten. The internet never forgets. And karma is real.

However you are 100% correct that business, or rather the pursuit of monetary gain, is king and paramount.

For better or worse it should have always been obvious that Call of Duty would remain on PlayStation... because money.

[lelo2play]

Everybody involved in this ordeal should be disappointed with their own behavior... that being Sony, Activision, Microsoft and specialy all the idiot fanboys.

[IamTylerDurden1]

I love how Sony being petty is used to deflect the real issue. That MS, the richest company in gaming is acquiring the largest publisher (independent of the 3 console makers) in the industry, coming off the heals of purchasing Bethesda, off the heels of gobbling up other significant multiplat devs like Obsidian, Ninja Theory, InXile, etc.

Ppl are focused on Sony opposing the deal when they should be concerned about MS changing the landscape of the industry, pushing the Tencent/Embracer consolidation movement, and hurting the competitive balance for competing game services particularly if services are indeed the future as MS claims.

And why wouldn't Sony oppose the deal? Look at the multiplat/originally planned multiplat IP PS gamers could lose now and in the future. Elder Scrolls, Fallout, CoD (multi for now), Starfield, Crash, Doom, Wolfenstein, Diablo, Redfall, Hellblade, Outer Worlds, and future games from Tango. Future iterations of Dishonored, Prey, Evil Within, Deathloop, Ghostwire, and Quake potentially as well. That's a large chunk of significant multiplat IP to lose even if COD remains multi.

[Crows90]

Starting with you.

[thecodingart]

@IamTylerDurden1 this is the indisputable mail on the head. It’s almost moronic to see people deflect from this daily.

[InUrFoxHole]

@IamTylerDurden1
Snarf Snarf!

[Abracadabra]

@Crows90

... and ending with you.

[S2Killinit]

He knows all about disappointing behavior.

[tbagmonster]

cause you really care.

[S2Killinit]

Yeah I kinda do

[Ashunderfire86]

Well I guess the people that disagree with you are not thinking straight LOL!!! All they got to do is Google Bobby Kotick to find out about the allegations against him. I bet they would change their Disagrees to Agree lol!!!

[Gamer_Dude]

"allegations"

[PapaBop]

For those who actually want the deal to go through, look on the bright side, if it fails, Kotick is going to have an epic meltdown as he'll lose a lot of money plus potentially have to take responsibility in cleaning up the mess himself.

[Extermin8or3_]

Nah this is him giving himself a backup here. If it fails they'll make another deak with Sony as the company holding the majority of the console market share so that they give Sony a reduced cut on each copy sold etc. He knows where he makes his money. Microsoft can do what they want with the IP anyway once the merger goes through. If they want to absorb dev costs at some point and make activision IP's exclusive in an attempt to capture market share they can. But If ultimately the merger gets blocked activision can't ignore PlayStation- they'd lose out in too much revenue. So he's providing himself with an out, so that Sony basically know "no matter I'll be pissed off if you get the merger blocked but not so pissed off I'm gonna cut my nose off to spite my face"

[DarXyde]

This.

Kottick and the rest of the execs at ABK will be the reason we usher in vigilante justice.

It is astonishing and embarrassing that this guy is allowed to show his face.

[Crows90]

Vigilante justice isn't justice. So ...yeah that would be no different than what he's done. Repay an injustice with another injustice is not justice...

[JackBNimble]

Yet you and the Sonybois want the ABK/MS deal to fall through so you can continue to support ABK on playstation.

Just think about how rich people like you have made Kotick with all his big bonuses from your support.... good job

[DarXyde]

JackBNimble,

Lad, what on earth are you talking about? Oh boy, okay... Let me address this because you sound like a muppet.

"Yet you and the Sonybois want the ABK/MS deal to fall through so you can continue to support ABK on playstation."

The last ABK game where they got any of my money was Call of Duty 2... On Xbox 360. after that, I borrowed Sekiro from a friend. I have been very divested from this company and that largely applies to EA too. If you did your due diligence, you would find in my comment history that, yes, I am against this merger for three reasons: the two you hear me speak about the most are industry consolidation and propagation of subscription gaming; I've also said that my *main* reason is I do not believe Microsoft is going to take the necessary steps to ensure Kottick and his rogues gallery will be held accountable. Not one bit, and this was likely a condition for the agreement. I've even said that if they can guarantee they get prosecuted, I would be in favor of this deal. when you're done working backwards from your baseless nonsense, I dare you to go back and find my comments on the matter. You want to have a stupid/unfounded opinion, have at it. Just know that it's not rooted in reality.

"Just think about how rich people like you have made Kotick with all his big bonuses from your support.... good job"

Thought about it.

Turns out... Not very rich at all. I don't support Activision. I have played a trial of World of Warcraft when I was 16. I don't play Candy Crush.

So really, what does any of this even mean? Behave yourself.

[1Victor]

A disappointing behavior is a CEO asking the company to the highest bidder in attempt to scape responsibility for all the suits and frat boy culture in the company instead of cleaning house and fixing the toilet, just pass it on to the possible new owners.
That is disappointing behavior

[ABizzel1]

I'm sure this is the exact same thing Sony, MS, and all other companies were saying about Bobby and his EXTREMELY concerning and questionable behavior.

[1Victor]

I think he(Kotick) realized there’s a chance the deal will fall through and he’s afraid of keep burning Sony’s bridge.
We all know he look out for only 3 me myself and I
If he was 100% confident the deal was going through like before he wouldn’t stepped down from defending the deal till death to been disappointed 🤷🏿

[S2Killinit]

There is that, and also him and MS are trying to proactively blame Sony for what they are going to do after the acquisition is achieved.

[Sonic1881]

He will fit right in with Microsoft 😂

[343_Guilty_Spark]

You still buy his games.

[S2Killinit]

Not me. Elder scrols was the only ip I had any interest in, and I’ll switch to the ip that fills the gap left by MS making it exclusive. I say fuk em both for pulling this crap on the industry.

[IamTylerDurden1]

I haven't bought ABK games in years. CoD is the same thing every year and i don't do f2p battle royale or w/e Warzone is. WoW is archaic, the engine looks circa 2006. Candy Crush? Skylanders? Nah. Crash N Sane plus 4 were ps+ games and top down arpg is a bit over the hill imo. Never really enjoyed Diablo despite my love for loot bc the gameplay is so redundant. Never understood the Overwatch hype tbh but then again mp isn't my thing. The last ABK game i bought was maybe...Singularity?

[IamTylerDurden1]

Bobby talking about other ppl's disappointing behavior is ironic. How they allow this guy near a mic anymore is beyond me. MS must cringe every time he speaks. I'm baffled as to how Bobby be ousted wasn't a prerequisite to even negotiating a deal. MS fans claim they bought ABK to help the ppl at Acti yet Bobby is still around?

[babadivad]

We're not gonna talk about that right now...

[Abracadabra]

Sony started all this mess...

[XiNatsuDragnel]

What about yours my friend you ain't innocent either no one is.

[FallenAngel1984]

As if this scumbag has any moral ground to stand on

[Asplundh]

Guy looks like he has a touch of downs.

[Zodiac]

Is having Down syndrome a negative character trait?

[Asplundh]

Just an observation of how he physically looks, i think it's the eyes.

[Unknown_Gamer5794]

Agreed. That’s an insult to people with Downs, who I’d certainly have a better time with than being in a room with that clown.

[jwillj2k4]

I thought it was Sméagol

[tbagmonster]

but hes rich and successful

[IamTylerDurden1]

And hot.

[RedDevils]

Cool, so are you gonna suck his dick too?

[cammers1995]

Was that necessary or? Nobody gives af about your observation. Him having DS has nothing to do with him being an idiot.

[Asplundh]

Probably not, but I don't really care. And he's clearly not an idiot.

[TheEnd4Me]

Fuck off, you're an absolute piece of shit and I sincerely mean it.

[Asplundh]

Cool story, tell it to someone who gives a rats?

[-Foxtrot]

We were disappointed when you went to Epstein Island but you know…

[TheKingKratos]

I feel like i am from outer space ... I have no idea what's Epstein Island and why i keep hearing about it

[Asplundh]

It was a sex trafficking rink that presumably involved a lot of rich folk. Epstein was charged with it and supposedly offed himself in his cell, many believe he was murdered to conceal clients.

[SullysCigar]

Bill Gates was allegedly one of the most frequent visitors according to flight logs. He and Melinda split shortly after those logs were leaked, although they remain in partnership on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Bobby has allegations against him left and right for all sorts over the years. It seems like they reach a certain level and just can't be touched. Then again, all allegations could be false, but personally I doubt that very much.

[TheKingKratos]

Oh wow, that is bad... And the guy have the audacity to talk about disappointing behaviour lol 😂😂

[Golfcoachh]

Yeah amazing how we can't get any serious list of the rich elites that frequented that pedophiles place.

[blackblades]

Yeah right, wasnt lulu part of his group. Both of them had words agaisnt Sony. We know already the relationship is meh.

[Rimeskeem]

They may have disappointing behavior, but yours is illegal.

[IamTylerDurden1]

Why is it disappointing that Sony opposes the biggest publisher acquisition ever after Microsoft essentially lied and now claims everything moving forward with Bethesda will be exclusive? After ofc acquiring multiplat devs like Obsidian, Ninja Theory, InXile, Compulsion etc. Why WOULDN'T Sony attempt to stifle this deal when you look at all the multiplat IP they have potentially lost since the richest company in gaming went on spending spree?

It's odd that ppl demonize Sony in this regard. Unless Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Starfield, Doom, Crash, potentially CoD down the road and many other IP being exclusive aren't a big deal. I would do everything to sabotage the deal as well. I wouldn't have waited until ABK either. I would've fought Bethesda as that acquisition alone was unprecedented and purged PS of a dozen significant IP in the future.

I know your point wasn't to attack Sony and i agree that Sony makes anti competitive deals as well at times but i will not concede that they are wrong for opposing this deal in light of all the multiplat acquisitions MS has made in recent times. Ppl need to stop conceding that Sony is wrong for opposing this deal. The impact on PS gamers and competing services alone should be enough for ppl to understand why Sony would oppose it let alone the financial implications.

[tbagmonster]

oh stop it.are you crying about tencent, i dont see that

[Christopher]

Because he's going to have that say once Microsoft has taken over and he's off with his platinum parachute.

[Hofstaderman]

Kaaaachinnng

[Extermin8or3_]

Hopefully the parachute fails to deploy....

[S2Killinit]

Like you can trust what this guy says..

[tay8701]

Lol, ofcourse it won't effect their relationship. MS loves money, you think they are going to turn their backs on a billions of dollars. It would be completely pointless to ice out Sony, seeing it's going to be available on gamepass day one. Probably not the most comfortable alliance, but MS absolutely needs playstations fan base. Without it, COD would suffer a MASSIVE loss to their player base, and a large chunk of xboxs player base would have no incentive to buy the game.

[Extermin8or3_]

Sony should consider simply saying "nah we good. Not certifying that then." Would certainly be interesting to see what would happen....

[IamTylerDurden1]

Let CoD lose half its player base and create a competitor. You have Guerrilla, Bungie, and Deviation working with you. Plenty of FPS experience and you are arguably the best publisher in gaming. Grow some balls ffs and make your own game. Dare to be great. The Sony i love takes risk. Otherwise you are just feeding the machine and helping CoD and MS by promoting it on your more successful platform. Your fans are already losing Starfield and future iterations of Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Crash, etc. You didn't fuss over that. I say f*** em. Let CoD become less relevant, create a superior game in place, and create your own path.

PlayStation has trounced XB for a decade. They consistently launch massive new IP that break 10 or even 20m units per release, as new IP, on essentially one platform. From Horizon to Spiderman to Tsushima. That's what you do. It's why MS was forced to buy publishers bc they simply are inept at creating new IP. Show some guts and make your own.

CoD is highly produced and it has brand recognition. You won't achieve near the same success overnight or ever even with a superior game but you certainly have the talent and platform to capture a piece of that. Once upon a time CoD was a new IP and games like Doom, Duke, etc ruled the land. I know FPS isn't the genre you dominate but the talent is there particularly with help from Bungie.

If i'm Sony i would've created an internal project emcompassing all of Deviation, help/service tech from Bungie, and a portion of Guerrilla. I'd toss 200 mil at the project, give it 5 years and it would've started a year ago as planned for PS6 launch as the new premier FPS in gaming. Launching PS6 exclusive with PC and PS5 releases 6 months later. Even if it didn't take over the scene the sheer hype as a PS6 launch then the install of PS5/PC coupled with Bungie/GG's fanbase and respect...it would create buzz and likely be a quality game.

[Ataraxias]

"Lol, ofcourse it won't effect their relationship. MS loves money, you think they are going to turn their backs on a billions of dollars"

They literally did that with Starfield. Bethesda had way more sales on PS that they're now losing out on.

[Tzuno]

Remove his stupid face from the Thumbnail of the article
He's the least person to comment about behaviors...

[Futureshark]

We Will Not Allow Sony’s Disappointing Behavior To Affect Our....

Massive buyout bonuses??

[MrDead]

If this walking talking sex pest turd is disappointed in Sony, then Sony must be doing something right.

He's a moraless, creative devoid vacuous husk that's just after a pay-out, Bobby and MS are the perfect match.

[kingnick]

I doubt Kotick is sticking around long post merger, he just wants his big payday as you said so he can move onto other things or retire.

[hombreacabado]

the green goblin strikes again.

[Hofstaderman]

Please don’t insult Willem Dafoe.

[hombreacabado]

i dont mean the williem dafoe version more so just the comic book character and his uncanny resemblance to Bobby! Williem is gold!

[Hofstaderman]

Lol I know dude. It was meant as a quick shot at ole slimy Bobby.

[lellkay]

"Dissapointing behavior"

says Bobby Kotick.

I cant even.

[TheTony316]

What about yours?

[GooGobbler]

what Long Term Relationship?

[badboyz09]

Bobby already sucking Xbox d**k.

[kingnick]

The best kind of interest is self interest.

[PitbullMonster]

In other words, he still wants access to the Playstation Community until the Xbox platform is big enough (in about 10 years).

[GamingSinceForever]

Of course not because there would be too much money left on the table.

[darkrider]

Take it easy your big fat check is coming. Just 10% of what you are getting and I could retire surfing in Maldives forever...

[SullysCigar]

Don't forget congressmen have waded into this too, so "10% for the big guy"...

[SoulWarrior]

Disappointing behaviour =/= trying to protect your business and large consolidation of the industry by an enormous company.

[EvertonFC]

This blokes a tw*t

[Viljong]

Microsoft doesnt use billions of dollars to create new studios and new game series but they spend billions to buy allready existing games not to release on competition. While playstation create new hardware, games and experiences for the players to enjoy.

[kingnick]

And Sony pays developers and publishers for timed or indefinite console exclusives. Same shit, different method with crappy outcomes for consumers in both instances.

[Stanjara]

Wants to take millions of Sony's hands and he is surprised that Sony is not playing?
I think this guy needs to steal more breastmilk.

[SinisterKieran]

literally the grossest person i've ever seen and keeps me away from blizzard.

[gold_drake]

comical
coming from the scumbag himself haha xD

[Thundercat77]

😂
This man is a sexual predator accused of sexual harassment and he dares to talk about others behavior. Wow....

This man and Xbox Management are on the same league. They belong together .

[niiopi]

Not surprising, this is an American company after all. They are taking cues from their corrupt political system and are now gaslighting Sony and it'll work, cause like the American people have proved, if you say it enough times over and over again you can make people believe anything. We are entering a very sad era for gamers all around.

[hiawa23]

To be fair, you can't broadbrush all American with that.

[z2g]

That’s good that he said that and Sony needs to learn a lesson here, but he’s still an asshole. It’s also obv he’s not gonna turn down business for PlayStation considering it’s the market leader in sales right now… we all know money is more important than anything in this world we live in.

[generic-user-name]

"That’s good that he said that and Sony needs to learn a lesson here"

They did learn a lesson, don't fight = 3 year deal for COD, fight = 10 year deal for COD.

Imagine thinking Sony were wrong to try and stop this, to say nothing of the potential monopoly that MS are beginning to form.

[Rainbowcookie]

His name suggests his behavior. He is a co bloodsucking animal ...and im being nice.

[TheLigX]

Lol Kotick is one to talk about “disappointing” behavior. Microsoft would be doing the EXACT same thing if the tables were switched. However, since they are an American company with senators in their pockets, the deal would have been halted at the starting line.

[Magatsuhi]

I don't get it... what has Sony done that is so offensive that MS hasn't done already in the 360 era? Now all of a sudden MS is good because they wana hold a monopoly? People can't be this stupid...

[Vanfernal]

Read "I'm disappointed I haven't gotten my golden parachute"

[kingnick]

It's very sad to think that a man who fostered such an unhealthy culture at ABK and reduced Blizzard to a shadow of their former self is going to get a huge payout. One of the few positives I see from this deal going through is Kotick being gone, must be pretty miserable for a lot of ABK staff working under Kotick.

[P_Bomb]

*rolls eyes* pot/kettle

[Deathdeliverer]

This guy is legendary.
Murders 15 people and witnesses a street fight. “We cannot let this barbarism stand”

[YourMommySpoils]

Oh, so that's how it goes. Blame everything on Sooooooonyyy.

If this hole didn't get himself caught in this harassment in the first place, there wouldn't be any of these acquisitions to begin with. Yeah we know who to blame for this.

[XxINFERNUSxX]

With all the shit he has done, I'm surprised no one took a swing at him. Or a bunch of employees jump him wearing all black and a mask so he can't see who it was 🤣 That would be so deserving and probably send a message. To me that would be way more impactful than a lawsuit which does not work cause the shit bag is still there.

[frostypants]

"Sony's behavior"...when it was the US government that took them to court. LOL...the spin effort never stops.

[ghostrider32]

If audacity was a religion, Bobby would have been the Pope.

[SullysCigar]

Bobby is to audacity, what Geoff Keighley is to Doritos and Phil Spencer is to lies.

[jwillj2k4]

As someone whose been an employee of a company being taken over, the pure disgust the employees must have for this guy cannot be measured.

[cammers1995]

He's the one that's a weirdo

[AnotherGamer]

Why is Bobby still in charge?!

[Deathdeliverer]

Looking for that bailout. He and some of the execs that are leaving with him are willing to say anything for that lump sum.

[DFresh]

Sounds like this deal isn't a guaranteed thing to go through considering Bobby Kotick is getting really mad and ranting about it.