Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is officially stepping down on December 29

The CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick will be officially stepping down from the company on December 29, 2023. This report comes from The Verge where they say Microsoft has yet to appoint a direct replacement. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise since Microsoft officially acquired the publisher on October 13, 2023.

The Activision Blizzard executives moving forward for now will include Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, Activision publishing president, Rob Kostich, and Activision Blizzard vice chair, Thomas Tippl. For now, Microsoft’s game content and studios president, Matt Booty will oversee the publisher.

Here is what Phil Spencer said in an internal memo:

Earlier today, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick formally announced that Friday December 29th, 2023 will be his last day at Microsoft Gaming. Under Bobby’s watch, Activision Blizzard in its many incarnations has been an enduring pillar of video games. Whether it’s Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush Saga or any number of other titles, his teams have created beloved franchises and entertained hundreds of millions of players for decades. I’d like to thank Bobby—for his invaluable contributions to this industry, his partnership in closing the Activision Blizzard acquisition and his collaboration following the close—and I wish him and his family the very best in his next chapter.

What do you think of the departure of Bobby Kotick?