Why do people dislike Bobby Kotick so much?

[Deleted]

I found a couple of videos of Bobby Kotick.



I think he's a really charismatic, charming guy. Do people just hate him because of the nowadays common hatred for rich and successful people?

He even has his own youtube channel where some folks from Blizzard like Chris Metzen and Sam Didier say some things.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1u...gYUQLKw/videos

[Malikath]

because he's an IRL goblin.

[Unholyground]

I always thought he made smart business moves, I cannot dislike someone for running a business successfully.

[Coombs]

There was a time when video games were made by passionate nerds who wanted to bring their tabletop fantasies to life. Projects had passion. Now gaming is big business and manipulative reward behavior mechanics are the game and the graphics are the pretty image that keep one pulling the lever. It's mainstream and widespread. You can see this too in the people who now make the games, the trend of it all. This transition happened when people like him bought into gaming, and turned it into a business that almost literally prints money. It's not specifically him but what people like him have done to the small niche hobby, that is now bastardized.

[Sarale]

There was a time when video games were made by passionate nerds who wanted to bring their tabletop fantasies to life. Projects had passion. Now gaming is big business and manipulative reward behavior mechanics are the game and the graphics are the pretty image that keep one pulling the lever. It's mainstream and widespread. You can see this too in the people who now make the games, the trend of it all. This transition happened when people like him bought into gaming, and turned it into a business that almost literally prints money. It's not specifically him but what people like him have done to the small niche hobby, that is now bastardized.

Basically this.

It's no longer about the games, but it's about maximising profits. It used to be about the experience, not milking the product untill it's dry. The developers are put under such pressure by the big dogs that their end product has way less quality than it used to. Only because of profit profit profit. CDPR for instance had almost no pressure when developing The Witcher 3 and that turned out to be one the best games ever made.

[Chonar]

Blizzard's tagline for projects used to be "It'll be done when it's done".

Not kidding, search a little in the past. You'll find it.

[Justpassing]

His company was one of the first to put business over "passion", hence people grew to hate him since like a decade ago. Nowadays it's just a meme - parrots parroting parrots.

[Deleted]

There was a time when video games were made by passionate nerds who wanted to bring their tabletop fantasies to life. Projects had passion. Now gaming is big business and manipulative reward behavior mechanics are the game and the graphics are the pretty image that keep one pulling the lever. It's mainstream and widespread. You can see this too in the people who now make the games, the trend of it all. This transition happened when people like him bought into gaming, and turned it into a business that almost literally prints money. It's not specifically him but what people like him have done to the small niche hobby, that is now bastardized.

The people who create these games are still very passionate about creating video games. A CEO is not a programmer. What do you expect?

[Malikath]

The people who create these games are still very passionate about creating video games.

not if activision's recent actions are anything to show for it.

[Orby]

I don't know him as a person but he could be a lovely guy, although generally big corporations in suits do intimidate people due to their power and influence.

And considering those big publisher CEO types are responsible for a lot of those horrible practices we hear a lot about in video games like microtransactions and loot boxes could usually be traced to those people, not sure where Bobby Kotock is on that area, my business know how isn't a strong point of mine :P

[Deleted]

it's been a few years since I've heard his name at all

i guess he's been over the moon since EA stole all his bad press

[Malikath]

I don't know him as a person but he could be a lovely guy, although generally big corporations in suits do intimidate people due to their power and influence.

And considering those big publisher CEO types are responsible for a lot of those horrible practices we hear a lot about in video games like microtransactions and loot boxes could usually be traced to those people, not sure where Bobby Kotock is on that area, my business nohow isn't a strong point of mine :P

skyshitters is about as bad as acti gets, it was EA who started the paid loot boxes.

[ONCHEhap]

"We have a real culture of thrift. The goal that I had in bringing a lot of the packaged goods folks into Activision about 10 years ago was to take all the fun out of making video games."

-Bobby Kotick,at the San Francisco Deutsche Bank Securities Technology Conference 2009

[ablib]

Gamers aren't intelligent enough to understand inflation. Games have cost roughly 59.99 USD for over 25 years. To meet up with inflation, games would have to cost $101 USD today. Since no one would pay over $100 USD for one game, game companies have kept the price at $59.99, and make up the difference elsewhere.

Bobby Kotick is a genius at making up the difference. Gamers forget that companies have shareholders and responsibilities to them.

[EbonBehelit-]

Remember that one time Kotick was raked over the coals when he pointed out Tim Schafer's inability to stay under budget, meet deadlines or deliver on his promises? I think Kotick is a bit of a goblin, but he did have a point there, as time would later prove.

[Playintrafic]

Cuz he is the figurehead of a shit company that ruins games. Not quite ea bad but still.

[Zabatakis]

The people who create these games are still very passionate about creating video games. A CEO is not a programmer. What do you expect?

Bolded the part here because, before guys like him, the ceo often WAS a programmer. That's what they are talking about when people had passion. He is directly opposed to passion unless it produces MAXIMISED profits (which it almost never does).

Before people like Bobby, games were made great so they would make profit. Now, games are made so they will make great profit, and reading that you may be confused but its not the same thing by a long shot.

I personally don't hate him, but our worldviews on business are opposed.

[Deleted]

Because of people like him development turned into corporate idiocy. Maximising profit while minimising costs.

Today we have game streamlined so much that it lost all its depth. Questing is identical everywhere, just with different quest text and setting. Reputations are all copies of each other with one identical way to get them. Professions are all generic. Game master support is non-existent.

Developers and game masters today are like drones. No passion. Just blindly copying stuff to make it as quick as possible. All because of corporate mind set people like Kotick are responsible for.

Remember when Blizzard said they will never sell gold? Today we have game tokens, which bring more profit per player than subscription. Anything for profit.

Blizzard's tagline for projects used to be "It'll be done when it's done".

Not kidding, search a little in the past. You'll find it.

I actually remember that. Good times.

[Deleted]

Bolded the part here because, before guys like him, the ceo often WAS a programmer. That's what they are talking about when people had passion. He is directly opposed to passion unless it produces MAXIMISED profits (which it almost never does).

Before people like Bobby, games were made great so they would make profit. Now, games are made so they will make great profit, and reading that you may be confused but its not the same thing by a long shot.

I personally don't hate him, but our worldviews on business are opposed.

Do you really think Mike Morhaime cares any less about money than Bobby Kotick? It's their job to make sure their company makes money.

[reauxmont]

Do you really think Mike Morhaime cares any less about money than Bobby Kotick? It's their job to make sure their company makes money.

There's a difference between making sure your company is making money, and prioritising making more money over everything else.