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Former Call of Duty Dev Says Decisions Made by Bobby Kotick 'Made Our Games Worse' | Push Square
05.01.2024 - 00:52 / pushsquare.com / Bobby Kotick
The decisions made by outgoing Activision CEO Bobby Kotick actively made Call of Duty games worse. That's according to Christina Pollock a programmer who previously worked on the series. Pollock, along with many other former colleagues, made their feelings regarding the controversial exec known on social media once it was confirmed he had definitely left the building.
Kotick finished up last week and, in addition to (probably) getting to sleep in now, was reportedly sent off with a «golden parachute» of at least $15 million, a number that is unlikely to include his extensive shares in the company (thanks Polygon). Pollock said, of the suit, that «Bobby’s decisions made our games worse. In my first month, it came out he threatened to have an employee killed. In the all-hands [all-staff meeting] that followed, no one wanted to speak first. So I demanded his firing in front of everyone.»
Pollock wasn't the only one, as former colleagues came out of the woodwork to wish Bobby well on his way out the door, sharing stories of their experiences with the exec. Andy Belford describes how concerns about Overwatch 2 being review bombed on Steam were repeatedly ignored ahead of launch.
Kotick's memory will likely live long in infamy, as the photogenic CEO's 32-year career was plagued by scandals that ranged from fostering an unhealthy working environment to allegedly threatening to kill his assistant. It's unclear where the controversial executive will land next or even if Kotick will remain within the industry. Place your bets in the comments section below.
Khayl Adam is the second best video game journalist Australia has ever produced, and his ambitions of world domination have (thus far) been curbed by the twin siren songs of strategy games and CRPGs. He has always felt an affinity for the noble dachshund, the best kind of dog.
One of the worst people around. Wonder if he’ll turn up on a certain list.
This is a really creatively bankrupt company. The last thing with their name on it that was worth anything was Sekiro and they only published that game. This isn’t so much a video game developer as a IP regurgitation machine.
If this is true, this is IN-TENSE! The day my boss threatens my life, is my last day of work at that job. Either because I find a new job, or I go to prison…for defending myself.
Let see how activision / blizzard games differ in quality after he left, I hope the games get better under microsoft. It will be cool if we get proper warcraft 3 remaster though, I remember getting hyped for that game before watching the end result lol.
When you quit and the company gives you more than a few banks-full of money on the way out the door, you no longer need to work for a living. You just need to
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