Robert Kotick

Robert Kotick.

Robert Kotick is the CEO, president, and board member for Activision/Blizzard, a position he assumed after the Activision Blizzard merger in July 2008. Prior to that Kotick had been the CEO of Activision since February 1991.

Kotick is a businessman and an admitted non-gamer, and he has earned a reputation as being focused exclusively on the bottom line, with a desire to bring standard bean-counting business practices to the free-wheeling, fun-infused game development industry. There were concerns in the gaming community when Activision bought/merged with Blizzard, since Kotick's oft-stated business philosophies seemed to be in direct contradiction to Blizzard's slow, careful, quality-first design practices.

Blizzard's heads assured fans that there would be no management changes at Blizzard and no influence or interference from Activision leadership, and so far there's been no obvious evidence of Activision interference. Fans remain concerned though, since for all the grumbling heard about Blizzard's slow development pace and frequent delays, the prospect of them rushing games and sacrificing quality to meet corporate timelines is a much scarier proposition.

A Bottom Line Type of Guy

The follow is quoted from Kotick's wikipedia page:

Kotick is a controversial figure in the press and gaming community. This is partially due to a perception that he is only interested in creating sequels to popular franchises, rather than developing new ones. In responding to why Activision Blizzard chose not to publish certain games, he implied the company is not interested in games that "don't have the potential to be exploited every year on every platform with clear sequel potential and have the potential to become $100 million franchises".

Some members of the press openly criticize Kotick. Ars Technica editor Ben Kuchera wrote, "Kotick doesn't play his games, and it shows."

Kotick threatened to pull support from Sony's Playstation 3 console if the company didn't lower its price. Kotick also created a stir when commenting on the financial success of the Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and World of Warcraft franchises. Following news that the Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Edition will cost $149.99, the Tony Hawk: Ride bundle will cost $119.99 and DJ Hero will cost $119.99, Kotick stated to a reporter, "if it was left to me, I would raise the prices even further."

Involvement in Diablo III

As far as is publicly known, Bobby Kotick has had zero input or involvement in the production of any Blizzard games, Diablo III included. Bobby's not a gamer and not a game designer, and he knows enough not to meddle and risk killing the golden goose. His input, if it came, would be in terms of faster development, cutting costs, or marketing and distribution expertise.

Diablo III Game Director Jay Wilson was asked about his experience with Activision in an interview from Gamescom, in August 2010.

in.Diablo.d3: Since Blizzard merged with Activision. there’s been a lot of talk about how the games might have changed. The name of Bobby Kotick comes up a lot. Does Activision influence the way you make games?'

Jay Wilson: The only experience I’ve had has all been positive. Activision has really good distribution. It’s a business-y thing, but their distribution channels are great. Really helped with the launch of SC2. I’ve never had any Activision person ask me to do anything. Or ask any of the other game directors at Blizzard to do anything. We make really good games and they respect that. and they do very good distribution and publishing, and we respect that. A lot of the speculation about we’re being pressured to do this or that, or Bobby’s twisting their arm... if it’s happening I’ve never seen it.

A fair answer, but note that Jay limited his comments to actual game production issues. He didn't include B.net changes or features, such as the Real ID/real names in the B.net forums debacle.

Bobby's Eyes

Leading Diablo fansite Diii.net started a meme in late 2010 by posting a tiny, tightly-cropped image of Bobby's Eyes in any news item about Blizzard financial issues, Blizzard game piracy, or other such topics. The intended allusion is a humorous cross between Big Brother and Ceiling Cat is watching you masturbate. Most fans seem to find the meme amusing.

Additional Reading

Kotick has been covered extensively in the press. The articles vary greatly in their focus and approval of his actions and philosophies.

• See all Diablo III news items with a Bobby Kotick connection on Diii.net.

Selected Kotick profiles in the gaming and general press:

• Forbes offered fluffing praise from the business community.

• On the other hand, an Ars Technica piece burns with demonic hatred.

• A more balanced piece from Little Bo Beep takes a sarcastic approach, defending his actions in the larger scheme of things.

• A new, allegedly more patient and sensitive Bobby talks to Gamasutra about the benefits of lengthy Blizzard beta tests.