Kotick Claims EA’s Riccitiello Was the “Worst CEO” in Gaming History

John Riccitiello has had his fair share of critics, and former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick didn’t hold back in expressing his blunt opinion about him on the Grit show. Known for his own controversies, Kotick shared that he would have happily paid to ensure Riccitiello stayed at the helm of EA, considering him the “worst CEO” in the gaming industry. This candid revelation was made during a discussion with former EA chief creative officer, Bing Gordon.

Kotick emphasized that his remarks were sincere, clarifying, “I’m not saying this because [Gordon’s] sitting here,” as GameSpot reported. The real concern, according to Kotick, was the possibility of Bing Gordon taking charge at EA. “Our fear was always that Bing was going to run [EA]. And we would have paid for Riccitiello to stay CEO forever… like we thought he was the worst CEO in video games,” Kotick confessed.

Despite the apparent animosity towards Riccitiello and the fierce competition between their companies, EA and Activision Blizzard had numerous merger talks over the years. “They tried to buy us a bunch of times. We had merger conversations,” Kotick reminisced. Interestingly, he admitted that in many respects, EA’s business was superior to theirs.

Riccitiello’s career with EA began in 1997 when he joined as president and COO. After a hiatus, he returned in 2007 as CEO, only to depart in 2013 due to the company’s lackluster financial performance. A year later, he took the reins at Unity, a major player in the gaming engine market, and stayed until his departure amidst controversy in 2023.

Before his exit from Unity, Riccitiello made headlines for a frank interview with PocketGamer.biz, where he infamously branded some developers as “the biggest fucking idiots.” Quite a statement from a man who has never been one to shy away from controversy.