The video game industry is having a frenzy with the announcement that Microsoft will acquire Activision-Blizzard for $67.8 billion. Responses to this announcement are not surprising considering the huge impact this acquisition will have on the video game industry. Following the announcement, there has been backlash over the fact that Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will stay in that position until the deal closes sometime in 2023. However, there is no definitive answer as to what will happen to Kotick if the deal goes through. But to the majority of gamers who are complaining about Kotick, you don’t have the right to complain about it if he stays on after the deal closes or not.
For those unaware, Activision-Blizzard has been the center of controversy within the video game industry for a little while now. Allegations of being a hostile workplace and promoting a culture of “constant sexual harassment,” according to a suit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, have soured fans who took to social media to express their outrage.
But that’s as far as it went for most gamers.
After expressing their righteous indignation and moral outrage in a boisterous and vociferous manner on platforms that reward such behavior, they went back to their regular lives. Buying Activision Blizzard games, playing Activision Blizzard games, and streaming Activision Blizzard games.
In other words, still supporting Activision Blizzard.
They said one thing, but their actions said something else: that they really didn’t care about what was happening so long as they could keep playing their games or making money streaming those games. It’s called being a hypocrite and, when it comes to entertainment in general, people do not care so long as they are entertained. They may say all the right things, but in the end, they help to perpetuate the issues rather than fix them.
Fans will go so far out of their way to try and justify buying games, playing games, and streaming games from companies that are vile, corrupt, or have a history of treating consumers and their own employees like pond scum. Activision Blizzard is the latest example of this. When Blizzard found itself at the center of the controversy over promoting a culture of sexual harassment, Activision fanboys starting screeching something along the lines of “It was only Blizzard, this isn’t Activision!” All so they could keep playing their little Call of Duty.
Yet, even before the Blizzard scandal popped up, Activision had its own scandals years prior. More specifically, revolving around Bobby Kotick and a sexual harassment lawsuit by a flight attendant. Of course, these people either forgot or didn’t care because it wasn’t happening right now unlike Blizzard’s maelstrom of controversy. They only started to say something when video game news journalists revisited Kotick’s past in order to get all those nice clicks on their articles. Then the Activision fans screamed out loud and when the echoes dissipated…they went back to playing and streaming their Activision Blizzard games.
Hell, even video game journalists just simply reported the news and then went no further than that. Think I’m wrong? Prove it! Which mainstream outlets called for a boycott of Activision Blizzard? Which mainstream outlets announced that they would no longer cover Activision Blizzard to show support for the victims? I can’t think of any mainstream video game outlets that did either of those.
But I’m drifting off topic. Let’s get back to you. You who continue to buy their games, play their games, and stream their games. What makes you think you can feign outrage on social media and then go back to streaming games such as Hearthstone, Call of Duty, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft without being called out? Now, to be fair, I’m not just calling out regular gamers. This is directed at streamers and esports players as well.
As for the few of you who not only just spoke out against Activision Blizzard, but also stopped giving this company your money, stopped playing their games, and stopped streaming their games; my hat is off to you. You backed up your word with deeds and took a stand. A shame that the rest of the gaming community couldn’t do that.
Of course, the Activision Blizzard fanatics will try to say otherwise in order to obfuscate their involvement in keeping the company above water when it comes to the stock price. Yes, Activision Blizzard experienced a significant drop in its stock price. But that wasn’t because of the scandal. That had very little impact. Activision Blizzard’s price drop had everything to do with the severe drop in the quality of its games which were released at that time and continued releases afterwards.
Even then, it isn’t having an impact on the sale of Activision Blizzard. At the time of this post, Activision Blizzard stock was trading for around $64 a share with a marketcap of around $50 billion (it has increased to over $80 since the announcement). What is interesting is that Microsoft is buying the company at a valuation of $67.8 billion (about $95 per share). A valuation that would have been before the scandals occurred. You know what that might mean? Kotick is going to have a ridiculously large payday.
So congratulations to all of you Activision Blizzard fanatics. You are going to make Kotick a lot richer and can go to sleep knowing that you have not helped or changed the video game industry for the better. You continue to help perpetuate bad business practices, exploitation of workers, hostile work environments, and cultures of sexual harassment.
At this point it doesn’t matter if Bobby Kotick continues to work after Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard or he walks away; he wins.
All because you had to play and stream a video game rather than take a moral stand.
