John-ShepardAnybody else get a chuckle out of this? I mean, gamers have been calling Activision CEO Bobby Kotick such names for a while, but a respected developer…? It's just amusing, isn't it?
Okay, so, Tim Schafer went and called Kotick a "total pr***," a "di**," and perhaps worst of all, "a ball bearing enthusiast." Such comments made the Internet rounds awfully quickly; so quickly, in fact, that Activision has already responded. According to Kotaku , the publisher's Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications, Maryanne Lataif, defended her boss and makes one significant point:
"Tim Schafer's comment that Bobby Kotick 'makes a big deal about not liking games' just isn't true. Bobby 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."
That last bit there is a pretty big jab and all in all, we'd have to say Activision's response is relatively dignified in comparison to Schafer's blunt accusations. Also, let's not forget that Schafer and Activision don't have the rosiest history together; look it up if you're interested. And while we're sure many gamers will agree with Schafer, we should probably admit we don't know Kotick, either. …doesn't stop us from guessing what he might be like, though.