According to The Wall Street Journal, the Microsoft takeover will lead to the retirement of controversial CEO Bobby Kotick.

2022 began with one of the biggest bombshell surprises in the industry’s history: Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has left us with a sea of speculation, doubt, and potential change. Many of the questions from users revolved around Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, the epitome of a toxic office environment: what fate would await him once the deal went live?

“No discussions or negotiations regarding post-closing employment arrangements with Microsoft occurred between Microsoft and Mr. Kotick” – Activision Blizzard

According to initial reports in The Wall Street Journal, the acquisition would lead to Kotick’s retirement, as his firing was deemed too costly. However, new information suggests that Microsoft and Activision did not negotiate the CEO’s fate after the deal closed, as revealed in recently added lines to a report reflecting the Microsoft deal.

Initially noted by Stephen Totilo, a prominent journalist for Axios, Activision appears to have included a clarification in the document mentioned above that “No discussions or negotiations regarding post-closing employment arrangements with Microsoft occurred between Microsoft and Mr. Kotick prior to the approval and execution of the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, or have occurred subsequent to such approval and execution, through the date hereof.”

So it appears that Bobby Kotick’s fate at Activision Blizzard remains uncertain. Before the acquisition announcement, many employees had called for the CEO’s resignation after his disastrous handling of sexual harassment allegations at the company, although so far, he has only been ousted from the Coca-Cola board. In addition, the CEO’s entourage is under scrutiny as his friends are involved in a suspicious financial transaction with Activision Blizzard.

Source: Twitter

On Friday, Activision added a line to its main filing about the planned sale to Microsoft, stressing that Microsoft and Bobby Kotick haven't discussed nor negotiated his post-merger employment status.https://t.co/w9N3sXZM2g

Hmmm pic.twitter.com/dWqhxj8TbG

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) April 18, 2022