Let's admit it: Bobby Kotick might be the most hated CEO of all times in gaming, but he wasn't that bad (at least if we're looking from the market perspective). But who was underperforming? Well, former Activision Blizzard CEO didn’t hold back during Grit podcast when sharing his thoughts on ex-Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello, calling him the worst CEO in the gaming industry. Kotick even joked that he was willing to pay to keep Riccitiello in charge longer, believing he was that bad at his job.

Riccitiello led EA for six years before stepping down in 2013. During his tenure, the Call of Duty franchise surged far ahead of Battlefield in popularity. One of the most infamous moments of his career came when he suggested that players could be charged for reloading their weapons, sparking massive controversy.

Despite his criticism of EA’s leadership, Kotick admitted that the two companies had considered merging multiple times. He revealed that EA had tried to acquire Activision on several occasions, and serious discussions took place. He also acknowledged that at certain points, EA’s business was in better shape than Activision’s, but ultimately, he believed Blizzard was the biggest success story.

It is not often we hear from such influential figures, so there are many interesting details. You may hate Bobby Kotick, but he has quite a unique point of view, considering all his experience.

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