“You Shouldn’t Be In Gaming. You’re Not A Creative Company”

The Activision Blizzard acquisition saga is nearly two years old already. This deal saw Microsoft purchasing the Call of Duty publisher for nearly $70 billion after months of back-and-forth court hearings and arguments.

Since then, Bobby Kotick has also resigned from his position as the CEO of Activision Blizzard. He was largely in favor of the deal before his resignation, but a recent interview shows that Bobby Kotick was never too confident in Microsoft’s abilities as a gaming giant.

Why it matters: The former CEO understands the gaming industry better than most people since he was part of Activision Blizzard’s rise to fame, playing a major role in the establishment of titles like Call of Duty.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Grit podcast, Bobby Kotick recalled his first meeting with Satya Nadella after his appointment as the Microsoft CEO.

Satya Nadella asked Bobby Kotick for advice on the gaming business since Xbox was in a difficult position at the time. However, the then-Activision Blizzard CEO was quite blunt and stated that Microsoft did not belong in the industry.

You shouldn’t be in gaming. You’re not a creative company.

-Satya Nadella

Instead, Bobby Kotick believed buying SAP or Workday would be a better investment for Microsoft. He stated that the recent Activision Blizzard deal only cemented his opinions further, making it clear that Microsoft was in dire need of the purchase going through.

You need us because you’re not going to figure out gaming with what you have.

Activision Blizzard Is Now A First-Party Xbox Team
Following the announcement of Xbox Muse, Microsoft has garnered criticism from developers for potentially reducing creativity within the industry. In light of recent discussions, Bobby Kotick’s statement seems quite interesting.