Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick didn't mince words when criticizing ex-EA boss John Riccitiello, bluntly labeling him as "the worst CEO in video games."
Appearing on the Grit podcast with former EA chief creative officer Bing Gordon - who hinted Riccitiello's management "accelerated his exit" - Kotick acknowledged EA's operations were "in many aspects stronger than Activision's," yet joked "we would've happily funded Riccitiello to remain CEO indefinitely."
"This isn't just because Bing's sitting here with me," Kotick remarked. "Our biggest fear was always that Gordon would take the reins at EA."
"Honestly, we would've sponsored Riccitiello to stay on permanently. In our view, he ranked as the most incompetent CEO in gaming history."
Riccitiello exited EA in 2013 after disappointing financial performance and multiple rounds of layoffs during his six-year tenure. His leadership became infamous for controversial proposals, including suggesting Battlefield players might pay a dollar per in-game reload.
After joining Unity Technologies in 2014, Riccitiello's tenure as CEO ended in 2023 following backlash over proposed runtime fees. His Unity leadership sparked multiple controversies, most notably when he called developers resisting microtransactions "the biggest idiots" - a comment he later apologized for.
Interestingly, Kotick - who steered Activision Blizzard through its record-breaking $68.7 billion Microsoft acquisition - revealed EA had repeatedly attempted to purchase the Call of Duty publisher.
"EA made multiple acquisition attempts. We seriously considered several merger opportunities," Kotick admitted. "Truthfully, their business model appeared more stable than ours in many respects."
While Kotick departed Activision Blizzard with significant financial achievements, his legacy remains clouded by controversy. Employees publicly condemned workplace toxicity, staged walkouts over alleged mishandling of sexual misconduct claims, and detailed systemic issues with company culture. Activision Blizzard maintains these allegations were disproven by independent investigations.
The California Civil Rights Department's 2021 lawsuit alleging a "frat boy" culture ultimately resulted in a $54 million settlement in 2023. The resolution stated investigations found no evidence supporting claims about "systemic sexual harassment" or misconduct by Kotick and the board.
During the same conversation, Kotick also criticized Universal's 2016 Warcraft film adaptation, declaring it "among the most disappointing movies ever made."
