Bobby Kotick, former CEO of Activision Blizzard, recently slammed his ex-EA counterpart, John Riccitiello, labeling him "the worst CEO in video games" during a podcast appearance on Grit. While acknowledging EA's superior business stability compared to Activision's, Kotick stated he'd have paid to keep Riccitiello in the CEO role indefinitely. This, he clarified, wasn't influenced by the presence of Bing Gordon, former EA chief creative officer, also on the podcast. Kotick's primary concern was preventing Gordon from potentially taking the helm at EA.

Riccitiello's departure from EA in 2013 followed a period of financial struggles and layoffs. His tenure, which began in 2007, was marked by controversial decisions, including suggesting to shareholders that Battlefield players pay per reload. He later served as CEO of Unity Technologies, leaving in 2023 amidst controversy surrounding installation fees. His time at Unity also included an apology to developers for his inflammatory remarks about those opposed to microtransactions.

Interestingly, Kotick revealed EA's multiple attempts to acquire Activision Blizzard, acknowledging EA's business model as often stronger than their own.

Kotick's own leadership at Activision Blizzard, while financially successful culminating in Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition in 2023, was also plagued by controversy. Allegations of sexism, a toxic work environment, and mishandling of misconduct reports surfaced, leading to employee walkouts. While Activision Blizzard maintains that independent reviews found no evidence of widespread sexual harassment or improper board actions regarding misconduct, a $54 million settlement was reached with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2023. The settlement concluded that no court or independent investigation substantiated allegations of systemic sexual harassment or improper board handling of workplace misconduct.

The interview also saw Kotick's candid assessment of the 2016 Warcraft film adaptation, calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen."