The future of Activision CEO Bobby Kotick’s employment status following Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of the publisher hasn’t been a talking point. This is according to a newly added line in Activision’s 8-K filing which claims Kotick’s plan with Xbox’s parent company hasn’t been discussed nor negotiated, first spotted by Axios’ Stephen Totilo.
This lines up with a previous Wall Street Journal report from January that claimed Kotick’s plan is expected to leave after the deal closes, according to sources close to the situation. It is expected that Kotick will continue to serve as Activision CEO throughout the merger which if approved will be finalized sometime in Microsoft’s next fiscal year, ending June 30, 2023.
Whether Kotick is employed or not, he will see a huge payout as he currently holds close to more than 3.9 million Activision shares, as of August 2021 which are valued at $95 as part of the Microsoft deal, which is valued in total at $371,326,310. Additionally, Kotick might see an additional payout of hundreds of millions of dollars from Microsoft if he is to be let go during the acquisition or $15 million afterward after the deal closes, an SEC filing claimed.
Kotick is an infamous figure in the video game industry who has come under fire after allegations of covering up Activision Blizzard’s sexist and abusive workplace environment, being accused of union-busting, insider trading, and more. The whole Activision saga initially kicked off back in July after the state of California’s two-year-long investigation of the company’s “frat-boy” culture was made public, which the publisher has continually fought against.
