Activision Blizzard CEO reveals why it was the right time to do a deal with Microsoft
Publisher Activision Blizzard, responsible for the game this article refers to, is currently embroiled in ongoing litigation in regards to claims reporting a workplace culture that allegedly enabled acts of sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination. Read our Activision Blizzard lawsuit timeline of events for ongoing coverage of the events.
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has shared his perspective on the news that Microsoft is planning a $68.7 billion purchase of his company.
In an interview with VentureBeat, Kotick spoke about the agreed takeover, and why he believes now was the right time to sell. However, instead of referencing the harrowing cultural issues that have come to light at the company, he instead focused on the timing being right for the future vision of Activision Blizzard.
«We were looking at over the course of the next couple of years, and starting to realize that we need thousands of people to be able to execute against our production plans,» said Kotick.
«We need them in disciplines like AI and machine learning, or in data analytics, or in purpose-built cloud and cybersecurity — and that we just don’t have. And that competition for that talent is expensive, and really hard to come by.
»When Phil [Spencer] called, it happened to be at a time where we were getting ready to start our long range planning process, and realizing that these were going to be issues and challenges… when you start to think about all the skills we need, all the resources we need, and what they have, it made a lot of sense."
Of course, the important question of the ongoing sexual harassment investigation into the company did come up. Kotick decided to downplay its importance in his decision to sell the company. He instead cited
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