Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard CEO, has shared some interesting comments about the way the company sees and reacts to politics in gaming. The publisher has been in the middle of controversies because of the recent ban of pro player Blitzchung, who took a stand about the Hong Kong riot against China.
Kotick shared that Activision Blizzard doesn’t want to be “the operator of the world’s town halls” but only needs to rule over its games, whether they’re competitive or not, to make them safe and enjoyable places for everyone out there.
“My responsibility is to make sure that our communities feel safe, secure, comfortable and satisfied and entertained,” he said at a CNBC event via Kotaku. “And so I don’t—I don’t—that doesn’t convey to me the right to have a platform for a lot of political views, I don’t think. I think my responsibility is to satisfy our audiences and our stakeholders, our employees, our shareholders.”
“I think there are some business people who are incredible examples of character and integrity and principle and have what you see are the great attributes of leadership, and I think that they are incredibly inspiring for me,” he said. “But I think, you know, they do have the right to articulate views and visions and voices about government and policy and politics, and I love engaging with those people.”
The latest BlizzCon has tried and rebuilt a connection between Blizzard and its fans with lots of game announcements, like Diablo 4 being very close in tone and gameplay to Diablo 2 – the most beloved title in the franchise – and Overwatch 2. Anyway, that didn’t come without further controversy, of course.
