Activision Blizzard has earned quite a negative reputation in recent months, with misconduct and discrimination allegations leading the way for personnel changes, federal investigations, and calls for company CEO Bobby Kotick to resign from his post. However, matters have changed in a big way following Microsoft’s high-profile acquisition, which would see all leadership, including the Activision Blizzard CEO, overseen by the newly-appointed head of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer.

Estimated to close by June 2023, the deal still has a long way to go, but a new report suggests Bobby Kotick may in fact be leaving Activision Blizzard once the transition takes hold. According to Wall Street Journal, sources “familiar with those plans” suggest both companies are in agreement that Kotick “will depart once the deal closes,” with Activision Blizzard then set to “report to Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer.”

These plans were not confirmed by either party, but Kotick was said to have made himself available to Microsoft “to ensure that we are going to have the very best integration.” While this quote doesn’t exactly line up with the report, an accompanying press release from Microsoft further clashes with the notion of Kotick’s leave, saying, ​”Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard, and he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture and accelerate business growth.”

In all likelihood, whether or not Bobby Kotick will leave Activision Blizzard probably won’t become public knowledge until further in the future, possibly until after the Xbox acquisition closes next year. In the meantime, the Activision Blizzard CEO will continue to be in charge, but even with ‘strengthening company culture’ on the agenda, Kotick’s reputation is not likely to change. This might be especially true if he does end up leaving the company as Kotick will likely earn yet another of his infamous paydays upon his exit.

A propos of nothing, here’s how much Activision Blizzard is to pay Kotick if he is terminated as a result of a change of control of the company, per his employee agreement pic.twitter.com/JEA5zexmI1

— Alex (@gamesbizuk) January 18, 2022

​What do you think? Do you think the Activision Blizzard CEO is leaving after the Microsoft deal concludes, or do you feel that it’s way too early to speculate on something like this? Is this just wishful thinking? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day!​

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