EA Previously Had The "Worst CEO" In Gaming, Ex-Activision Boss Says
In 2013, John Riccitiello stepped down as EA's CEO following a tumultuous six-year run on top of the company. During Riccitiello's reign, Activision's Call of Duty franchise overtook Battlefield in terms of popularity, and it didn't help when Riccitiello joked that Battlefield players should be charged to reload. Now, ex-Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has shared his belief that Riccitiello was the worst CEO in the video game industry.
During a joint appearance on Grit with former EA Chief Creative Officer Bing Gordon, Kotick revealed that Activision was afraid that Gordon would assume control of EA and prove to be a good leader for the company.
"I'm not saying this because [Gordon is] sitting here," said Kotick. "Our fear was always that Bing was going to run [EA]. And we would have paid for Riccitiello to stay a CEO forever... like we thought he was the worst CEO in video games." Gordon also noted that Riccitiello may have hastened his departure from EA as well.
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