Activision Blizzard CEO Kotick will “absolutely remain” if the Microsoft merger falls through

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has revealed that he would “absolutely remain” at the megacorp if the planned acquisition with Microsoft does not proceed.

Originally, it was thought that Kotick would stand down once the deal is finalisedbut Fox Business reports that undisclosed sources “close to the situation” say that if Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard stalls, current CEO Kotick “will absolutely remain at the gaming giant to run the company”.

The same sources reports that the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is “the only regulatory body that really matters” given “it offers companies no legal recourse such as a trial”, but “confidence remains high” that the merger will proceed as planned.

“Microsoft and Activision would win any U.S. litigation merely on the facts,” the sources said.

In the meanwhile, Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick has been talking to the financial press, insisting any block by the UK would leave post-Brexit Britain looking like “Death Valley” and accusing Sony of trying to “sabotage” the deal.

“Suddenly, Sony’s entire leadership team stopped talking to anyone at Microsoft,” Kotick told the FT, reportedly saying that his own calls to “Sony’s chief and other executives were not returned”.

“I think this is all Sony just trying to sabotage the transaction. The whole idea that we are not going to support a PlayStation or that Microsoft would not support the PlayStation, it is absurd,” Kotick added.

It recently came to light that Activision Blizzard will pay $35m USD to settle charges raised by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) following a probe relating to workplace misconduct.

The SEC launched its investigation into Activision Blizzard in September 2021subpoenaing CEO Bobby Kotick and other senior executives to provide their internal communications regarding the company’s response to the high-profile allegations of widespread misconduct and harassment within the company.