Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick recently slammed his EA counterpart, John Riccitiello, labeling him "the worst CEO in video games" during a podcast appearance on Grit. This comment, made alongside former EA chief creative officer Bing Gordon, who hinted Riccitiello's leadership contributed to his own departure, is surprising given Kotick's admission that EA's business model was, in many respects, superior to Activision's.

Kotick stated that Activision would have willingly paid to keep Riccitiello in the CEO role indefinitely, primarily out of fear that Bing Gordon might succeed him.

Riccitiello's departure from EA in 2013 followed a period of financial struggles and significant layoffs. His tenure, which began in 2007, included controversial proposals, such as suggesting Battlefield players pay per reload. He later served as CEO of Unity Technologies, leaving in 2023 amidst a major controversy surrounding installation fees. His time at Unity also featured various controversies, including a public apology for his disparaging remarks about developers who opposed microtransactions.

Interestingly, Kotick, who oversaw Activision Blizzard's $68.7 billion acquisition by Microsoft in 2023, revealed that EA had made multiple attempts to acquire Activision Blizzard. He acknowledged EA's business model as being, in many ways, more robust and stable than Activision's.

While Kotick's leadership at Activision Blizzard resulted in significant financial success, his tenure was also marked by considerable controversy. Allegations of sexism, a toxic work environment, and mishandling of serious misconduct claims led to employee walkouts and a lawsuit from California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (now the Civil Rights Department). A subsequent $54 million settlement was reached in December 2023, with the Civil Rights Department stating that no court or independent investigation substantiated claims of widespread sexual harassment or improper board actions regarding workplace misconduct.

In the same interview, Kotick also criticized Universal's 2016 Warcraft film adaptation, calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen."