Bobby Kotick will remain Activision Blizzard CEO until the end of the year

Microsoft has finally completed its $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition deal. And, apparently, there won’t be a change of leadership in the video game studio as current CEO Bobby Kotick is staying in his position until the end of the year.

“Bobby Kotick has agreed to remain in his role through the end of 2023, reporting directly to me, to ensure a smooth and seamless integration,” says Xbox boss Phil Spencer in an internal memo to Microsoft employees.

The acquisition was first announced back in 2022, but it wasn’t a smooth ride. Both US and UK regulators opposed the deal for “anti-competition” fears for quite some time until the UK’s CMA greenlit it today.

“We look forward to working together as a unified team and we will share more updates on our new organizational structure in the coming months,” he further says.

To call this the biggest deal in gaming history is quite an understatement. Though, it seems like Microsoft is taking a careful approach when it comes to bringing Call of Duty games to Xbox Game Pass.

“We’ll share more about when you can expect to play in the coming months,” Spencer says in the official announcement.

Read the Xbox boss’ full memo on Microsoft’s site.