14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, Tim Schafer, creator of such titles like Grim Fandango, Psychonauts or Brütal Legend, condemned Bobby Kotick, the chief executive of Activision, for his approach in the industry. Kotick is, of course, infamous for his cut-throat attitude to business, openly expressed so many times. His most controversial statement was when he said that his mission was to take all to fun out of making video games.
Industry Gamers reports that Activision has chosen to respond to these accusations through the voice of Maryanne Lataif, senior vice president of corporate communications at the publishing behemoth. “Tim Schafer's comment that Bobby Kotick 'makes a big deal about not liking games' just isn't true.”
“Bobby,” she continued, “has always been passionate about games and loves the video game industry, But as CEO of a company that makes games enjoyed by millions of people worldwide, the demands on his time now make it difficult to play games as often as he'd like to or as much as he once did. As Schafer himself notes, he has never actually met Bobby Kotick.”
Bobby Kotick is currently the most controversial figure in the video games industry. His public statements of the very authoritarian corporate structure he promotes have made him quite unpopular between gamers. They believe that his approach to the creation of video games diminishes creativity and promotes low quality products that sell a lot only because of the powerful brands that his company owns.
The recent scandal surround the sacking of the two heads of Infinity Ward, the studio behind the immensely successful Call of Duty series have given Activision and its CEO an even worse reputation between video game consumers. It's interesting to note though that Activision owns Blizzard, one of the most successful outfits in the industry and one whose freedom of choice hasn't been touched as of yet by its infamous publisher.