Robert Kotick

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bobby Kotick, 2012

Robert A. Kotick (* 1963 ), often just called Bobby Kotick , is an American entrepreneur and manager. He is currently CEO and President of Activision Blizzard, the world's largest US computer game publisher by revenue . Since February 16, 2012, he has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Coca-Cola Company .

Career

Kotick began his career in 1983 while still in college at the University of Michigan , where he began developing software for the Apple II with the financial support of Steve Wynn . Kotick referred to Steve Jobs as his definitive advisor to early college leaving and pursuing his entrepreneurial interests in software.

In 1987 he tried unsuccessfully to acquire Commodore International . He planned to remove the keyboard and floppy disk drive from the Amiga 500 and convert the device into the first 16-bit game console. But he did not succeed in persuading Commodore's then chairman Irving Gould to sell the company. He then acquired a controlling stake in Leisure Concepts, Nintendo's US license dealer, which was renamed 4Kids Entertainment .

In December 1990, Kotick and his partner Brian Kelly acquired a 25% stake in the software company Mediagenic, and in February 1991 Kotick became CEO of the company. In December the company officially changed its name back to Activision , under which the company had already operated from 1979 to 1988. Kotick founded the company International Consumer Technologies as early as 1986 and was president of this company until January 1995. In 1995, International Consumer Technologies eventually became a wholly-controlled subsidiary of Activision.

Kotick continued to serve on Yahoo's board of directors from March 2003 to August 2008, and currently serves on the boards of the Center for Early Education, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Tony Hawk Foundation .

Worked for Activision Blizzard

Kotick 2012 in New York.

At Activision, Kotick set out to build "a quality, well-organized institutional company with a focus on independent developers." In an interview with the game magazine Kotaku on June 14, 2010, Kotick said:

“[…] [P] art of the whole philosophy of Activision was whether you're owned outright or not, if you're a studio you have control of your destiny, you could make decisions about who to hire, flexibility on what products to make, how to make them, schedules appropriate to make them, budgets. "

"[...] Part of the whole philosophy of Activison was that no matter whether you as a development studio belong completely to the company or not, you have control over your fate, you can decide who is employed, you are flexible as to which products you want to make, how you want to do them, have adequate development schedules, budgets. "

Kotick threaded the merger of Activision and Vivendi Universal Games into the new market leader Activision Blizzard and was confirmed as CEO on July 9, 2008 by the shareholders of the merged company. According to a 2009 Forbes Magazine report , Kotick was receiving a base salary of $ 953,654 at the time, and about $ 3.2 million in total for his work for Activision Blizzard through perks, options and incentive awards.

Kotick used Activision Blizzard's market power several times to induce other companies and institutions in the gaming market to change their business strategy. In July 2009 he threatened not to develop any more games for the PlayStation 3 game console if Sony did not reduce the retail price. Kotick also urged the UK government to reward Activision's continued investment in the UK gaming sector by giving the company the same tax breaks as Canada, Singapore and the former Eastern Bloc countries. Under Kotick, Activision also launched the Independent Games Competition at DICE 2010 . The aim is to support small American developers with prize money totaling US $ 500,000.

In October 2009, Activision Blizzard launched the Call of Duty Endowment (German: Stiftung ), a public non-profit welfare organization named after the Call of Duty military shooter franchise , which helps soldiers transition to a civilian life after completing their military service with the aim of creating thousands of new jobs for veterans. Kotick filled the advisory body with veteran representatives from the various branches of the armed forces.

Controversy

Kotick's image in the gaming community is sometimes controversial. This is partly in connection with his vehement advocacy of a business strategy that focuses exclusively on the development of his own works, which - in his words - can be "exploited" over a long period of time, up to and including the exclusion of new titles that are not continued to guarantee. When asked why Activision Blizzard stopped publishing various titles (including Brütal Legend ) after the merger , Kotick stated that the focus on franchises that “have the potential to be exploited on any platform every year, is clear Continuation potential and the potential to become a $ 100 million franchise ”for Activision Blizzard “ paid off well ”. Kotick described the business strategy as "narrow and profound" or "annualisable" (German about: verjährlichend ) and described it as a key to development to address, not by the development of "speculative franchises" are tightened.

Kotick also caused a stir with his comments on Activision Blizzard's franchises with hardware enhancements (e.g. Guitar Hero ). During the second financial quarterly report for fiscal year 2009, Kotick was asked how he could live with the high controller prices of the new games, to which he replied, "If it were up to me, I would raise the prices even higher". While some reports took this statement literally, the online industry magazine Gamesindustry.biz rated the comment as a joke, but described it as "insensitive, at a time when consumers are very likely to be feeling economic pressure".

The gaming press regularly complains that the distance between Kotick and Activision's core target group is too great. Ars Technica editor -in- chief Ben Kuchera wrote, "Kotick doesn't play his games and you can see that". Computer game developer Tim Schafer ( Brütal Legend ) described Kotick as "total prick" (German: absolute asshole ) because of his negative attitude towards games . However, Kotick told the games website Kotaku that he has retained a passion for computer games that has never gone and "rattles off an impressive list of consoles that he has owned in the past and games that he loves" .

Private

Kotick grew up in Long Island , New York. He was married and has three daughters. He now lives with his family in California . He has been divorced since 2012. Kotick made a cameo in The Art of Winning - Moneyball (2011) starring Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Robert A. Kotick Profile (English) . In: Forbes.com , Forbes Magazine . Archived from the original on May 25, 2010 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved June 21, 2010. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / people.forbes.com 
  2. ↑ The Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company Elects Robert A. Kotick as Director ( Memento of the original of February 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.thecoca-colacompany.com
  3. ↑ a b c d Simon Carless: DICE 2010: Kotick Talks Passion For Industry ( English ) In: Gamasutra . UBM, plc . Retrieved February 18, 2010.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Dan Gallagher: Kotick changes the game at Activision Blizzard ( English ) In: Marketwatch.com . Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  5. ↑ a b c d Brian Crecente: A Delightful Chat With the Most Hated Man in Video Games ( English ) In: Kotaku . Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  6. ↑ Yukari Iwatani Kane: Activision CEO: Steve Jobs Convinced Me to Quit College . In: Wall Street Journal , June 14, 2010. 
  7. ↑ CEO BIO: Robert A. Kotic k ( English ) In: Business Week.com . Business Week . Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  8. ↑ It's a done deal: Icahn on Yahoo board ( English ) In: cnet.com . CNET . August 6, 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2008.
  9. ↑ Are You the Next Yahoo! CEO? ( English ) In: fool.com . The Motley Fool. June 17, 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2008.
  10. ↑ Investors approve Activision Blizzard merger ( English ) In: videogamemedia.com . Video game media. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
  11. ^ Dan Sabbagh: Sony should beware - Activision chief is not simply playing games (English) , The Times. Retrieved July 19, 2009. 
  12. ↑ Maija Palmer and Tim Bradshaw: Computer games industry hits at tax rethink ( English ) In: Financial Times . Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  13. ↑ Eric Caoili: Activision Announces Independent Games Competition ( English ) In: Gamasutra . UBM, plc . Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  14. ↑ Call of Duty Endowment Home Page ( English ) Archived from the original on December 20, 2009. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 2, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.callofdutyendowment.org
  15. ↑ a b Activision: if we can't run a game into the ground, we don't want it ( English ) In: arstechnica.com . Condé Nast Publications . November 6, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
  16. ↑ Activision Blizzard SF2Q09 (Qtr End 9/30/08) Earnings Call Transcript ( English ) In: seekingalpha.com . Seeking Alpha . November 5, 2008. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  17. ↑ Activision Blizzard Q2 2009 Earnings Call Transcript ( English ) In: seekingalpha.com . seekingalpha.com . August 5, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
  18. ↑ Activision's Kotick: I'd Raise Game Prices Even More - Bobby Wants MORE ( English ) In: news.spong.com . August 6, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  19. ↑ Phil Elliott: Kotick Jokes About 'Even Higher' Prices ( English ) In: Gamesindustry.biz . Eurogamer Network. August 7, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  20. ↑ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/double-fines-tim-schafer-develop-interview
  21. ↑ Kevin Maney: Game Boy ( English ) In: Bizjournals.com . April 10, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  22. ↑ Amy Chozick: At Activision, a Hero and Villain, Zapped Into One ( English ) The New York Times . December 15, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  23. ↑ Luke Plunkett: What the Fuck is Bobby Kotick Doing in This Brad Pitt Movie? ( English ) In: Kotaku . Retrieved June 16, 2011.
personal data
SURNAME Kotick, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kotick, Bobby (nickname); Kotick, Robert A.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American manager and entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH 1963