Bobby Kotick joins Skydance board as new Warner-Paramount giant merges gaming divisions

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has landed a powerful new gig. Per Eurogamer and PC Gamer, he has been named to the board of directors at Skydance, the freshly formed entertainment conglomerate created by the merger of Warner Bros. into Paramount.

Skydance CEO David Ellison praised Kotick's "real perspective on building enduring franchises" and his "record of pairing bold strategic moves with disciplined capital allocation" in a statement released by the company. The 13-person board also reportedly includes former UK prime minister Tony Blair in an advisory role.

The merger also consolidates the video game divisions of both Warner Bros. and Paramount under the Skydance banner. According to a Variety report cited by Eurogamer, this new gaming unit will be led by Tony Driscoll, formerly of Epic Games, and will control franchises like Mortal Kombat, Hogwarts Legacy, Mission: Impossible, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Kotick's tenure at Activision was marked by major financial success but also significant controversy. As reported by Eurogamer, the state of California sued Activision, alleging a "frat boy" culture that fostered harassment. A 2021 Wall Street Journal report, which remains unaltered online, alleged Kotick knew about sexual misconduct claims for years, an allegation he has denied. PC Gamer notes that Activision settled related lawsuits with state agencies for tens of millions of dollars in 2023, with settlements stating no court had substantiated allegations of "systemic or widespread sexual harassment."

Skydance's press release, as covered by PC Gamer, credited Kotick with building Activision into "one of the world's most successful videogame companies" and highlighted his experience in scaling franchise-driven businesses.