Activision Fires Back Over Schafer Name-Calling

[Logan Westbrook]

Activision Fires Back Over Schafer Name-Calling

Despite what Tim Schafer would have you believe, Bobby Kotick likes videogames just fine.

Double Fine founder Tim Schafer didn't mince words yesterday [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102062-Psychonauts-Creator-Calls-Bobby-Kotick-Names] when talking about Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, calling him a "total prick" who didn't like games and was bad for the industry. Unsurprisingly, these comments got plenty of attention, leading Activision to respond, and say that Schafer doesn't know what he's talking about.

Maryanne Lataif, Senior VP of Corporate Communications at Activision Blizzard, says that Kotick - who Schafer has never met, she points out - does, and always has, liked playing games, but that being a CEO takes up a lot of time.

"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," she said. "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."

The statement makes a lot of sense; being a CEO is an immense responsibility, and that responsibility only increased with the Activision/Vivendi merger. Like it or not, the games themselves are just one aspect of Kotick's job, and are mixed in with every other aspect of running a massive multi-national corporation. Maybe it's unreasonable to expect Kotick to be able to think of them at anything other than a strategic level right now.

Source: Industry Gamers [http://www.industrygamers.com/news/activision-kotick-has-always-been-passionate-about-games/]


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[DTWolfwood]

Schafer is spot on with the public image Kotick has. It matters not that he actually likes gaming, the end of the day Kotick dug himself the PR hole he is in right now. Most of his statements are flagrantly Money oriented and not Game oriented.

can't blame Schafer for thinking the same as the rest of us.

Props to Kotick for making Activision what it is tho. Hate him or not, Activision is #1 right now and i'm pretty sure Kotick has something to do with that

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

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.

The goal... was to take all the fun out of making video games.

take all the fun out of making video games.

Uh huh.
Sure, guys. He is a very nice person and all.
Thanks, but I'll stick with Tim on this one.

 

[Dectilon]

"The statement makes a lot of sense..."

The statement makes no sense. I mean in the sense that it was made at all. Who cares if he likes games or not? What matters is what he's doing as a professional.

And responding to a, let's be honest, sort of childish statement such as Schaefer's is just silly. Partly because no one looks professional in a slapfight, and partly because it doesn't matter what they say because the people who agree with Shaefer (which must be most of everyone posting here and on any other gaming site) won't change their minds until Activision actually starts acting differently.

 

[UnravThreads]

Props to Kotick for making Activision what it is tho.

A shell of its former self, with its major titles in their thousandth iteration?

Kotick's a dick, and not enough of the gaming public know that. Maybe Black Ops should have an easter egg that explains just why Kotick is a dick.

 

[V8 Ninja]

Meh. Don't care now and probably won't anytime soon.

 

[DTWolfwood]

Props to Kotick for making Activision what it is tho.

A shell of its former self, with its major titles in their thousandth iteration?

Kotick's a dick, and not enough of the gaming public know that. Maybe Black Ops should have an easter egg that explains just why Kotick is a dick.

They make the most money don't they? Hate him or Hate him, he made Activision #1

 

[TheMadJack]

That's all they could come up with?

I laugh at their feeble attempt of a retort.

Besides, if Kotick liked games that much he would find the time. We all do. It goes to show how much he cares about his image. He doesn't deign reply himself but send an underling tongue-lash Schafer, if anyone can call it that.

Do us all a favor Kotick and retire on a moon of Jupiter.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

I knew what Kotick meant. I mean, it's hard to run a GAME PUBLISHER without ever playing games. That said, there is no reason he can't make the time, especially with the thriving portable gaming scenes and "business flights". So, that's a very piss-poor excuse.

As for those "take the fun out of making video games" comments...well...He clearly wants to see this industry buckle down, and treat it like the BUSINESS that it is. I don't think he means they're posting "NO FUN" signs in all the in-house dev studios.

He's still a shitty CEO, though. Good business is NOT suing your own employees.

 

[Woodsey]

Whether he likes playing them or not is irrelevant - he does everything he can to milk franchises and their dev teams until they're dead in the water, then he moves on and sucks the life out of something else; a tactic proven unnecessary by people such as Bioware and Valve.

If he actually cared about games (there's a difference between that and enjoying playing them) then he'd do business differently.

 

[Macgyvercas]

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.

The goal... was to take all the fun out of making video games.

take all the fun out of making video games.

Uh huh.
Sure, guys. He is a very nice person and all.
Thanks, but I'll stick with Tim on this one.

This.

Schafer is right on the money for this one.

 

[YourlocalPCsnob]

Kotick needs to go sell used cars like the scum he is.
Schafers word is law. Period.

 

[Lawyer105]

As for those "take the fun out of making video games" comments...well...He clearly wants to see this industry buckle down, and treat it like the BUSINESS that it is. I don't think he means they're posting "NO FUN" signs in all the in-house dev studios.

Unfortunately, I think you've missed the point. You cannot treat any creative enterprise like some sort of automated manufacturing, or accounting, or lawyering. A creative enterprise (e.g. game development) requires, well, creativity. And creativity isn't something you can sweatshop. It will only come if the creators enjoy and care about what they do.

Kotick might be a good businessman... but he's still an absolute loon.

 

[tomtom94]

To Bobby Kotick, videogames are just a commodity.

I'm sorry guys but this man is probably going to single-handedly crash the industry again.

 

[UnravThreads]

They make the most money don't they? Hate him or Hate him, he made Activision #1

Really? I thought it was due to Blizzard supplying most of the company's profit with WoW.

 

[DTWolfwood]

They make the most money don't they? Hate him or Hate him, he made Activision #1

Really? I thought it was due to Blizzard supplying most of the company's profit with WoW.

Whose bright idea was it to BUY Blizzard?

 

[-Drifter-]

As for those "take the fun out of making video games" comments...well...He clearly wants to see this industry buckle down, and treat it like the BUSINESS that it is. I don't think he means they're posting "NO FUN" signs in all the in-house dev studios.

Gaming may be a business, but that doesn't mean it should be devoid of passion. I don't want a million sequels and carbon copies of games any more than I want every movie released to be a rehash of garbage like "Knight and Day."

 

[DTWolfwood]

That's the whole damn point. Don't be naive, money isn't the thing helping the industry at this point.

Wait what?!