Thu, Jul 15, 2010 | 08:05 BST
Activision to Schafer: Kotick “has always been passionate about games”

Tim Schafer recently said some things.
And whether Activision chose to sweep the bulk of them under the rug or Kotick’s come to enjoy the new one he was so recently ripped, this much is apparently certain: Bobby Kotick does not hate videogames.
“Tim Schafer’s comment that Bobby Kotick ‘makes a big deal about not liking games’ just isn’t true. Bobby has always been passionate about games, and loves the video game industry,” Acti-Blizz senior VP of corporate communications Maryanne Lataif said in a statement to IndustryGamers.
“But as CEO of a company that makes games enjoyed by millions of people worldwide, the demands on his time now make it difficult to play games as often as he’d like to or as much as he once did. As Schafer himself notes, he has never actually met Bobby Kotick.”
Glad that’s all cleared up and will never, ever be an issue again. Gotta say, we envy Eric Hirshberg – what with how easy and not completely impossible his job of filing away Activision’s horns is going to be.


20 comments
#1
SunKing
15/07/10, 8:42 am
Well, that’s just not true. Time and again, Kotick has reiterated how he’d love to be able to charge for everything, has reiterated his fondness for yearly sequals, wants to encourage an atmosphere of skepticism, fear and uncertainty, and treats the talent under him with callous disrespect.
Video games are big business, makes him and his shareholders a lot of money, and that’s what he cares about. That’s fine, that’s capitalism, but don’t tell me he “has always been passionate about games, and loves the video game industry”. He loves the money, not the games.
/rant over
#2
jiykong
15/07/10, 8:47 am
Normal for Kotick not to be passionate about Games sadly. He’s a Businessmen and businessmen are hired to squeeze money.
As long as Activision doesn’t become the next Microsoft in the gaming industry by only making clones and the same product over and over again, Kotick is the man for the job. Heck he’s making the cash to fund the great games that Activision is making.
#3
Blerk
15/07/10, 8:51 am
Time for VG247 to set up an interview with Bobby, I think! And allow us to submit questions.
#4
mington
15/07/10, 8:59 am
Why no side burns bobby?
#5
frostquake
15/07/10, 9:18 am
He is PASSIONATE about the MONEY that games can make. I want a video of him playing the latest game, not Tetris! Then we will see how Active he is in understanding games!
#6
Sunshyme
15/07/10, 9:23 am
They should have kept their mouths shut. Nog big deal. Respond to it and create more unwanted attention. Not that smart of Acti…
#7
LarsWestergren
15/07/10, 9:24 am
@3
Kotaku did an interview with him. I’m not a fan of him, but it was an interesting read nonetheless.
http://kotaku.com/5559201/a-delightful-chat-with-the-most-hated-man-in-video-games
#8
LOLshock94
15/07/10, 10:11 am
i know activation are bad but could some explain hows MS bad?????????
#9
Tonka
15/07/10, 10:21 am
Why the fuck do they care enough to issue this statement? Was it solicited? Weird shit going on…
#10
Anders
15/07/10, 11:14 am
Yeah, I love that they actually cared enough to respond. They would’ve been better off ignoring it.
#11
Psychotext
15/07/10, 11:35 am
Best think Kotick could do is stick to running the company and stop making statements that antagonise gamers.
#12
LOLshock94
15/07/10, 11:44 am
can sum1 plz tell y MS is badder then kotick??????
#13
Tonka
15/07/10, 11:51 am
Names are spelled with capital letter at the beginning.
Kotick not kotick
#14
NiceFellow
15/07/10, 12:28 pm
Passionate about making money by exploiting the videogame consumer – yeah, I could believe that.
#15
Crysis
15/07/10, 12:58 pm
Lol @LOLShock94, MS is a very immoral, unethical & sometimes borderline illegal company, alot of their software for their OSs comes from take overs & mergers of other companies workings, they are reknown for child labour & their tactics of competetition is very disgraceful, finding a new field, creating something similur to whatever is in that field & selling it @ an uncompetetive price thus putting multiple minor companies out of business which had no intentions of goiing toe to toe with a monster like M$
#16
freedoms_stain
15/07/10, 1:19 pm
@7, his hero is Steve Jobs?
No surprises I suppose, assholes like assholes.
#17
LOLshock94
15/07/10, 2:49 pm
@Crysis
yeah but im sure that most companies would do the same
#18
LOLshock94
15/07/10, 2:52 pm
@ 13
im learning to not to be a grammer nazi on this site
#19
Crysis
15/07/10, 3:23 pm
@LOLshock94, nah, most companies follow strict policies, more is expected of such a high calibre corporation
#20
LOLshock94
15/07/10, 3:30 pm
after reading what u said i want to play on my ps3 but the controler is to shit and my the highest game i can play on my PC is arma 2 lol