This past Friday marked an important milestone in the history of Xbox as Microsoft closed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and original Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley had some words to share following the announcement.
Blackley took to Twitter to point out the "karma" involved in Activision CEO Bobby Kotick selling the company to Microsoft, highlighting stories from the past where he'd pitched a couple of projects to Kotick unsuccessfully:
Blackley's tweet has racked up well over 1 million views already, and he also took to the comments section to continue the discussion further. It turns out the Guitar Hero pitch was actually a favour for a friend:
In terms of Bobby Kotick's role moving forward, it's been announced that he'll remain as the Activision CEO through the end of 2023, and then seemingly will depart next year. After that point, the ball's entirely in Phil Spencer's court!
As for Blackley, he hasn't worked for Microsoft since 2002, although he does still take a keen interest in the Xbox brand and even pitched the idea of a classic console a couple of years ago - we really wish that had come to fruition!
What are your thoughts on Blackley's comments here? Tell us down below.
Comments 20
Don't get your hopes up that karma is dishing out any kind of justice here...
"Most notable is the clause that states if the CEO is fired without cause by Microsoft, he’ll be entitled to a $15 million “golden parachute" from the company. Additionally, if Activision’s board sees an improvement in company culture, the filing states that Kotick could receive as much as $22 million in stock later this year. Last but certainly not least, as of right now Kotick owns (or has the right to acquire) 6.5 million shares of Activision Blizzard, which--at Microsoft's buyout price--will be worth approximately $619 million. It is currently unclear what kind of financial compensation Kotick might receive if fired for cause."
Interesting. Never knew that Seamus Blackley created the OG Xbox...
Never did paid attention to Xbox back then.
Love Seamus for his straight, no BS, takes. Not being filtered through a corporate PR sanitisation process is always both enlightening and entertaining.
@DanijoEX-the-Pierrot Power On: The Story of Xbox is an interesting set of documentaries if you are interested. First Episode below if you like that sort of thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJYsA1jXf60
I am not sure how this is in any way karma? Just because someone originally rejects your idea doesn't mean they are getting punished for it now by some kind of cosmic force. Plenty of pitches get made for games and not all get accepted the first time or even by the first publisher no point hold a bitter grudge over it.
I wish i had that kind of karma where i get paid 600m+
I’m not seeing a karma thing here what am I missing? Seems like a bizarre use of the phrase 😂
Also I don’t get why the internet acts like Bobby has come up to them and punched them in the face.
I wonder how the more than 10,000 human beings Microsoft laid off this year feel about karma. This in a year when they could afford to buy out a competitor for more than $69,000,000,000.00.
“Organizational and workforce adjustments are a necessary and regular part of managing our business,” the [Microsoft] spokesperson said in an email. “We will continue to prioritize and invest in strategic growth areas for our future and in support of our customers and partners.”
Layoffs are growth to them only insofar as shareholders and executives make ever-increasing profits. Firing people equals growth to them.
Looking forward to MS charging more for GamePass and offering fewer games, and MS fans defending it to the hilt.
Pete Hines just announced his departure. Looks like the Zenimax vesting periods are ending with Hines and Tango’s head leaving with likely many more to follow
@Nancyboy Buying an asset brings that asset and its value and revenue onto your books - even project costs around it are centralised and can be amortised over many years.
It's unfortunately accounted for very different to day-to-day spending - I say this as someone who hates accountants despite having to work with them.
I hate layoffs too, and do wish they'd use some of the cash pile to support the higher headcount instead of buying stuff, but unfortunately the gruesome side of capitalism is that shareholders won't allow for "high" costs to be subsidised by cash piles, and they favour things that increase value - whether that's buying an asset that generates income (compared to money just sat there earning nothing) or cutting "high" costs.
Until we fix capitalism by making customers / staff as important to companies as their shareholders and bottom line, something I'm very up for, this is the way it goes...
@Nancyboy Microsoft has a set limit of employees it will have, and I guarantee this purchase pushes them over that limit, you'll see staff be fired from the studios for sure. But MS keeps boring and then firing in the tens of thousands.
@Rmg0731 man i know you like to crap on xbox or microsoft whenever you can at every waking moment but those people that are leaving have been in the business since i was in kindergarden.
People get old, let people rest without trying to spin it as the world's craziest negative. Its like people aren't allowed to just live a life when it comes to the internet...
He thinks Kotick somehow lost in this situation? Is he the full quid? Does he not understand how many shares he would have had in the company that have just been bought at a premium and that his exit next year no doubt includes a golden parachute? Wish I was dealt such "karma" lol.
@Savage_Joe yes getting paid a huge amount of money in the process I am sure he is broken inside as a result. What a terrible thing to happen to him he may never survive.
@Sifi That’s not a net gain of 7,000 jobs. Between the two, it’s a net loss of 10,000 jobs. And that’s assuming MS doesn’t fire a mess of former ABK staff. Which they will.
Other companies treat their workers like disposable commodities, fired to maintain the fantasy of necessary perpetual growth, so it’s okay when MS does it? Sony charges more for less, so it’s okay when MS does it? This reasoning always baffles me. Companies treat the people who got them there like chaff, so that egregious abuse is acceptable because “everybody does it”? Keeping in mind that, when the world economy hobbled along under COVID, corporations posted record profits. As inflation rages, corporations post record profits. And fire tens of thousands of people.
@Zenszulu Agree. It happens every day. J.K. Rowling was rejected, want to say 12 times. Stephen King also numerous times.
Blackley comes off as simply sour and jaded here. Not a good look in my opinion.
@Nancyboy "Looking forward to MS charging more for GamePass and offering fewer games, and MS fans defending it to the hilt."
I've said that for years now. Years! But the diehards continue to preach it is the best deal in gaming. Well....yea if you care about and want to just pay indie games for over inflated price.
And I'm a massive Xbox fan since day one of the original console saying all this.
@Sifi PS+ is only higher than Game Pass in some territories, in many like the UK it's still significantly cheaper annually e.g.
Not sure what the USA did to piss Sony off but their USA pricing recently is wild (like the new digital console is a significant price increase in the USA, but same in the UK)
@themightyant
I said (UK) PS Premium is more expensive per month than Ultimate Gamepass (as that's the one most people use) .
Not forgetting you get far more for your money with Ultimate Gamepass.
@Sifi Wasn't aware the US never got a price hike on the console before. That makes sense why they got a larger one this time, thanks.
As for subscription prices if you are going to include third party key resellers and other ways to get it cheaper than you might as well include things like VPN so you can get it cheaper on PS too.
Digital PS5 was £390 in the UK before the new model, £390 after. It also went up £30 earlier since launch.
This is subjective. Personally I think Game Pass is slightly stronger, but I think it's a lot closer than most people assume. You actually get access to a lot more games on PS+ premium (930 v 508 on Game Pass Ultimate) and currently around twice as many games are added each month to PS+ right now (214 added so far this year vs 101 on GP Ult). The main difference is you get more day 1 games on Game Pass, including MS first party titles.
I have both services and they are both excellent imo, but scratch slightly different itches. ymmv. I think too many people dismiss how good PS+ has become simply because it doesn't give sony titles day 1
Its kind of funny...Bobby hid sexual harassment, employee suicide among other really messed up things. Then this guy doesn't like him because he didn't like Guitar Hero. Out of everything.... He didn't like my game.
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