Kotick speaks! He wants Microsoft's money!

[ozzzy189]

there are all these kotick stories on eurogamer too, boy he really is a first class cnut isn't he ?

[Wools]

A lot of what he says is true, but it's filtered through a ton of big talk and a load of bollocks.

In the end, he's a head of a company that is making a ton of money, has lost a lot of talent, has diminishing IP's and has little creative freedom or outside developers. He's not going to have a open or interesting opinion other than his own and will push his companies own agenda.

I don't like the guy or Activision but if they made some great new IP then I'll be all for it. But with the departure of iD & Infinity Ward, there's little reason for me to care about any of their existing products.

[Brad]

In most of those stories Kotick actually speaks sense.

[abigsmurf]

He does talk sense, the trouble is he does so in a way that shows near zero respect for his customers or developers. He's also lacking in humility. Everyone's doing everything wrong except for him!

So Kotick, you knew nothing of Schafer's game or development history except that it was over budget, late and not very good?

If you had managed the project better you could have prevented the first two problems and taken a good stab at the third. You just sat back, attended a single meeting and got pissed off when the game didn't make itself and the money didn't just roll in.

[merf]

but Tim Schafer fired the first volley at Kotick didn't he ?

fine if you are producing a top game but not if you are overseeing rubbish like he did.

[EDDIE M0NS00N]

This is a great way for him to promote the company & remind ppl whats on the horizon tho isnt it.
I mean, we got Black Ops on the way, Guitar Hero etc. I can see more articles like this being released as we head up to the release of Black Ops & then it'll die down again.

Dont like him. He's way too arrogant, greedy & oblivous to the truth. I hope Acti crash & burn, & considering the amount of dross they are continuosly releasing they will drop like a sack of spuds eventually just like EA did.
EA used to be such a dirty word. SO much so that I used to refuse to buy a game made by EA, but a few yrs ago they really pulled their finger out of their arse & have come up with new, exciting & quality games.

Ya hear that Kotick? - NEW, EXCITING & QUALITY GAMES!!

[sj33]

I guess the difference between 'old EA' and Activision is that Activision are in danger of running out of IP that shifts units. We've seen Guitar Hero go that way already, and the Call of Duty frenzy is already dying down.

[Ouenben]

We've seen Guitar Hero go that way already, and the Call of Duty frenzy is already dying down.

Considering black ops isn't out yet and MW2 sold insane amounts and is the best selling CoD to date what're you basing this on?

[Brats]

Ya hear that Kotick? - NEW, EXCITING & QUALITY GAMES!!

To be fair, in the last year we've had Blur, DJ Hero and Singularity, which have all been decent imo.

[abigsmurf]

Singularity got zero marketing though

Jeff Brown, EA's vice president of communications, didn't hold back when asked for comment, slinging mud at Activision's Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, and World of Warcraft franchises in the process.

"Kotick's relationship with studio talent is well documented in litigation," Brown said, referring to Activision's latest lawsuit with developer Infinity Ward over the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare franchise and previously with Double Fine over Brutal Legend.

"His company is based on three game franchises – one is a fantastic persistent world he had nothing to do with; one is in steep decline; and the third is in the process of being destroyed by Kotick's own hubris."

ZING

[EDDIE M0NS00N]

To be fair, in the last year we've had Blur, DJ Hero and Singularity, which have all been decent imo.

Well thats 2 at least, not counting DJH as thats just another music sim. As mentioned if Acti put more effort into advertising their other games rather than the usual cash cows then more ppl would know about them & they'd shift more units giving them the positivity they need to realise that their efforts outside of the usual were justified & could be developed further, rather than sticking to the same old formula.

That EA article is class btw abigsmurf!!

[Number45]

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2010-09-28-ea-swipes-back-at-kotick

Schafer last night offered a riposte to Eurogamer.net. "It's sad is that instead of just insulting me personally, he goes after the product of my hard-working team - a group of people he almost put out of work a while back."

"But what's even sadder is that it took him two months to think of a comeback."