'Karma Is A B*tch'! Original Xbox Creator Talks Activision Takeover

Don't get your hopes up that karma is dishing out any kind of justice here...

"Most notable is the clause that states if the CEO is fired without cause by Microsoft, he’ll be entitled to a $15 million “golden parachute" from the company. Additionally, if Activision’s board sees an improvement in company culture, the filing states that Kotick could receive as much as $22 million in stock later this year. Last but certainly not least, as of right now Kotick owns (or has the right to acquire) 6.5 million shares of Activision Blizzard, which--at Microsoft's buyout price--will be worth approximately $619 million. It is currently unclear what kind of financial compensation Kotick might receive if fired for cause."

Interesting. Never knew that Seamus Blackley created the OG Xbox...

Never did paid attention to Xbox back then.

I am not sure how this is in any way karma? Just because someone originally rejects your idea doesn't mean they are getting punished for it now by some kind of cosmic force. Plenty of pitches get made for games and not all get accepted the first time or even by the first publisher no point hold a bitter grudge over it.

I wish i had that kind of karma where i get paid 600m+

I’m not seeing a karma thing here what am I missing? Seems like a bizarre use of the phrase 😂

Also I don’t get why the internet acts like Bobby has come up to them and punched them in the face.

I wonder how the more than 10,000 human beings Microsoft laid off this year feel about karma. This in a year when they could afford to buy out a competitor for more than $69,000,000,000.00.

“Organizational and workforce adjustments are a necessary and regular part of managing our business,” the [Microsoft] spokesperson said in an email. “We will continue to prioritize and invest in strategic growth areas for our future and in support of our customers and partners.”

Layoffs are growth to them only insofar as shareholders and executives make ever-increasing profits. Firing people equals growth to them.

Looking forward to MS charging more for GamePass and offering fewer games, and MS fans defending it to the hilt.

Pete Hines just announced his departure. Looks like the Zenimax vesting periods are ending with Hines and Tango’s head leaving with likely many more to follow

@Zenszulu Kotick made fun of the idea of Xbox buying Activision… Now he’s eating crow. That’s textbook karma!

@Nancyboy Microsoft has a set limit of employees it will have, and I guarantee this purchase pushes them over that limit, you'll see staff be fired from the studios for sure. But MS keeps boring and then firing in the tens of thousands.

@Rmg0731 man i know you like to crap on xbox or microsoft whenever you can at every waking moment but those people that are leaving have been in the business since i was in kindergarden.

People get old, let people rest without trying to spin it as the world's craziest negative. Its like people aren't allowed to just live a life when it comes to the internet...

He thinks Kotick somehow lost in this situation? Is he the full quid? Does he not understand how many shares he would have had in the company that have just been bought at a premium and that his exit next year no doubt includes a golden parachute? Wish I was dealt such "karma" lol.

@Savage_Joe yes getting paid a huge amount of money in the process I am sure he is broken inside as a result. What a terrible thing to happen to him he may never survive.

@Nancyboy And how many employees did Microsoft gain with Activision Blizzard around 17,000.

There is hardly any multi corporations that haven't had layoffs of around 10.000 or more, recently or in the past Amazon, Sony etc.

Microsoft already recently raised the price of Ultimate Gamepass, then Sony raised their subscription prices even higher, I. E it now costs more per month for PS Premium than Ultimate Gamepass despite Premium giving less.

@Sifi That’s not a net gain of 7,000 jobs. Between the two, it’s a net loss of 10,000 jobs. And that’s assuming MS doesn’t fire a mess of former ABK staff. Which they will.

Other companies treat their workers like disposable commodities, fired to maintain the fantasy of necessary perpetual growth, so it’s okay when MS does it? Sony charges more for less, so it’s okay when MS does it? This reasoning always baffles me. Companies treat the people who got them there like chaff, so that egregious abuse is acceptable because “everybody does it”? Keeping in mind that, when the world economy hobbled along under COVID, corporations posted record profits. As inflation rages, corporations post record profits. And fire tens of thousands of people.

@Zenszulu Agree. It happens every day. J.K. Rowling was rejected, want to say 12 times. Stephen King also numerous times.

Blackley comes off as simply sour and jaded here. Not a good look in my opinion.

@Nancyboy "Looking forward to MS charging more for GamePass and offering fewer games, and MS fans defending it to the hilt."

I've said that for years now. Years! But the diehards continue to preach it is the best deal in gaming. Well....yea if you care about and want to just pay indie games for over inflated price.

And I'm a massive Xbox fan since day one of the original console saying all this.

@themightyant
I said (UK) PS Premium is more expensive per month than Ultimate Gamepass (as that's the one most people use) .
Not forgetting you get far more for your money with Ultimate Gamepass.

As far as yearly goes, You are forgetting that unlike Sony Microsoft do NOT lock you to their store you are allowed to buy Full Digital games and subscriptions from 3rd Parties which straight away makes Ultimate Gamepass much cheaper, just one quick look on the more expensive Cdkeys site you can buy a year of UK and EU Ultimate Gamepass for £88.
If you want it even cheaper there are plenty of other sites Eneba etc.

Secondly, Microsoft also allow you to convert Gold/Core to Ultimate Gamepass at a 3 for 2 exchange rate,so you can find the cheapest Gold and convert it.

As for console price rise, in the USA Sony left the price as originally released, but put it up £30 in the UK and even more in the EU. So wouldn't the USA price rise just put them back in line with UK etc?

Its kind of funny...Bobby hid sexual harassment, employee suicide among other really messed up things. Then this guy doesn't like him because he didn't like Guitar Hero. Out of everything.... He didn't like my game.