Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick recently slammed his EA counterpart, John Riccitiello, labeling him "the worst CEO in video games" during a podcast appearance on Grit. While acknowledging EA's superior business stability compared to Activision's, Kotick stated he'd have gladly paid to keep Riccitiello in his role. He even revealed a fear that Bing Gordon, EA's former chief creative officer, might take the helm.

Riccitiello's departure from EA in 2013 followed a period of financial struggles and layoffs, his tenure marked by controversial decisions, including a suggestion to shareholders about charging players for ammunition reloads in Battlefield. His subsequent leadership at Unity Technologies also faced controversy, culminating in his 2023 exit following backlash over proposed and later retracted installation fees. His outspoken criticism of developers resistant to microtransactions further fueled the controversy.

Kotick, who oversaw Activision Blizzard's $68.7 billion acquisition by Microsoft in 2023, revealed multiple failed acquisition attempts by EA. He admitted EA's business model was often perceived as stronger and more stable than Activision's.

Kotick's own leadership, while financially successful, was also embroiled in controversy. Numerous allegations of sexism, a toxic work environment, and mishandling of serious misconduct claims surfaced. While Activision Blizzard maintains that independent reviews found no evidence of widespread sexual harassment or improper board actions, a $54 million settlement was reached with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2023. The settlement, however, stated that no court or independent investigation substantiated claims of systemic sexual harassment or improper board conduct regarding workplace misconduct.

The interview also saw Kotick criticize Universal's 2016 Warcraft film adaptation, calling it one of the worst movies he'd ever seen.