SUN VALLEY, Idaho -- Brian Grazer and Bobby Kotick goofed around a little bit when they ran into each other in the driveway outside the Sun Valley Lodge.Grazer pretended to be announcing Kotick's name in sports announcer fashion ("Bob-bee Kooo-tick"). But other than a little backslapping and mugging for a selfie by the chairman of Imagine Entertainment and the CEO of Activision Blizzard, Allen & Co. conference attendees were all business for the gathering here that brings together business moguls,...
Activision Blizzard, Inc.
Bobby
Kotick
CEO
Reports have said Kotick isn’t expected to stay with Activision Blizzard when — or if — it becomes a Microsoft subsidiary midway through 2023, per the tech overlord’s $69 billion move to acquire it. The FTC has aimed to block the deal, citing concerns shared by Xbox rival Sony that it is anti-competitive and could seriously hurt PlayStation and others. In addition to mobile giant King, Kotick’s company controls the top console franchise, “Call of Duty,” which in 2022 had its best title launch ever with October’s “Modern Warfare II.” He is also dealing with the California Civil Rights Department’s ongoing lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over accusations of rampant workplace misconduct under Kotick, which Activision has denied the veracity of. The company filed its own lawsuit against the agency in December, accusing it of unlawfully collaborating with the media on news reports and withholding evidence.