Report: Bobby Kotick Wanted To Buy Kotaku And PC Gamer

According to a recent report from The Wall Street Journal, Bobby Kotick was interested in buying video game publications, namely Kotaku and PC Gamer. Kotick reportedly wanted to own these businesses so that he could attempt to make Activision-Blizzard look good from a media perspective.

“Mr. Kotick has been eager to change the public narrative about the company, and in recent weeks has suggested Activision Blizzard make some kind of acquisition, including of gaming-trade publications like Kotaku and PC Gamer, according to people familiar with him,” the report reads.

An Activision spokesperson reportedly refuted this remark. Neither G/O Media (the parent company of Kotaku) nor PC Gamer responded to a request for comment.

The acquisition of Activision-Blizzard is expected to close following the conclusion of Microsoft’s fiscal year which is set for June 23, 2023. Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as the CEO of Activision-Blizzard throughout the acquisition process.

The Profit‘s Take:

He wanted to change Activision-Blizzard’s media narrative through acquisitions. I think every big tech company needs a media and content business because content creation is the most effective form of user acquisition out there. I think it’s kind of brilliant that Bobby wanted to make this move from a content creation standpoint. However, I am not so keen on changing the media narrative surrounding your company by buying the publications that talk about you. There’s business reasoning behind this idea though, and I think it’s sound. Content is king as we like to say.

(All information was provided by Video Games Chronicle)