Former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has a new seat in the entertainment business. Skydance, the company formed when Paramount completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery this week, named Kotick an independent director on its board, according to a Skydance press release. The appointment took effect immediately.
Kotick joins alongside Laurene Powell Jobs, founder and president of Emerson Collective, and Skydance co-CEO Ynon Kreiz. Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is joining as a board advisor, and David Ellison remains chairman and CEO. The rest of Paramount’s existing board carries over to the combined company.
Skydance’s release leans on Kotick’s 32 years running Activision, including its merger with Vivendi Games and the $68.7 billion sale of Activision Blizzard to Microsoft, which it calls the largest transaction in video game history. “Bobby led a global entertainment company through three decades of sustained growth, and he brings real perspective on building enduring franchises and connecting with fans,” Ellison said.
The move matters for players because Skydance now owns WB Games. The company is folding WB’s studios, including Avalanche Software, NetherRealm Studios, Rocksteady, TT Games, WB Montreal, and WB Boston, together with Paramount Games Studio under former Epic Games executive Tony Driscoll, as RCG reported: Skydance puts WB Games and Paramount Games under one boss. Skydance has also said it is targeting more than $6 billion in savings within three years.
Kotick’s return is drawing attention because of how his Activision tenure ended. As Game Developer recounts, a 2021 lawsuit from the State of California accused Activision Blizzard of fostering a culture of sexual harassment, and The Wall Street Journal reported that Kotick had known about misconduct at the company, which Activision Blizzard denied at the time. California and Activision Blizzard settled in 2023 with no admission of wrongdoing, and the company set up a $45.97 million fund for affected employees. Kotick left a few months after Microsoft closed its acquisition in October 2023.
Skydance’s statement doesn’t mention any of that history. It says Kotick’s experience scaling a franchise-driven business and steering major industry transitions “will serve Skydance well” as it brings Paramount and Warner Bros. together.
