Robert Kotick is a founder and former long serving Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard, Inc. For over 30 years, Kotick led Activision from bankruptcy to become one of the most successful and well-respected entertainment companies in the world.

Kotick served as Activision’s CEO from February 1991 until December 2023, when Activision Blizzard was acquired by Microsoft for over $75 billion in one of the largest all-cash transactions in history. Activision has more than 15,000 employees worldwide. Its games have hundreds of millions of players around the world.

Kotick, along with former National Security Advisor and Marine Corps Commandant General James Jones, is the co-Founder and co-Chairman of the Call of Duty Endowment, a nonprofit organization that helps veterans find high-quality careers and raises awareness of the value veterans bring to the workplace. To date, the Endowment has helped secure employment for more than 140,000 veterans.

Kotick filed a lawsuit this March against G/O Media Inc., a New York City based media company that owns and operates a portfolio of digital media brands including Gizmodo, a tech and science-focused site and Kotaku a gaming news and culture platform among others.

Kotick’s lawsuit for defamation against G/O Media Inc. arises from what he claims was “the malicious publication of two articles on March 11, 2024 by two websites then owned and operated by G/O Media – Kotaku and Gizmodo – that contain knowingly false statements about non-existent widespread workplace misconduct at Activision Blizzard, Inc. These articles were part of a years’ long concerted effort by G/O Media – which on information and belief was working in concert with the California Civil Rights Department (“CRD”) – to defame and disparage Plaintiff Robert Kotick, who served as CEO of Activision Blizzard for more than 30 years.”

Kotick goes on to allege “On July 20, 2021, the CRD filed a knowingly inaccurate and inflammatory lawsuit against Activision that included fraudulent claims of systemic workplace harassment at the Company.”

“To maximize pressure and amplify the harm its false accusations caused, the CRD enlisted certain unscrupulous reporters at The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets, including on information and belief G/O Media to publish a series of hit pieces about Activision and Kotick. The Journal published an article on November 16, 2021, that repeated many of the false allegations in the CRD’s complaint and manufactured additional knowingly false, disproven allegations.”

“Between 2021 and 2024, Kotaku and Gizmodo published dozens of false and defamatory articles about Kotick that spread and perpetuated the false narratives fabricated by the CRD and the Journal, including the articles on March 11, 2024.”

In December 2023, the CRD formally withdrew its harassment claims and expressly acknowledged that, “no court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard; [or] that Activision Blizzard senior executives ignored, condoned, or tolerated a culture of systemic, harassment, retaliation, or discrimination.” The CRD also specifically acknowledged that Activision’s Board, including Kotick, never acted “improperly with regard to the handling of any instances of workplace misconduct.” (Emphasis added.)”

“The false allegations in the CRD’s complaint and media reporting were disproven by numerous independent experts who confirmed that Activision has always been committed to workplace accountability and there has never been widespread or systemic harassment at the Company. Moreover, in addition to the CRD’s acknowledgment, various independent experts confirmed that Activision G/O Media was well aware of the CRD’s withdrawal of its claims.”

“Indeed, Kotaku published an article on December 18, 2023, acknowledging that the CRD was withdrawing its harassment claims after admitting they were unsubstantiated.”

“Ignoring these facts, less than three months later, G/O Media published the two libelous March 11 articles that repeated the CRD and Journal’s false allegations of widespread workplace misconduct at Activision while also intentionally omitting the exculpatory facts that those allegations were false and that the CRD and The Wall Street Journal’s own subsequent reporting acknowledged they were false.”

Kotaku sums up his allegations by claiming “Kotick’s representatives repeatedly urged G/O Media to correct the March 11 articles published by Kotaku and Gizmodo. His representatives sent numerous letters to G/O Media providing comprehensive evidence – including court orders, public statements, SEC filings, and findings from independent third-party investigations – showing that the allegations relating to workplace misconduct were false and withdrawn. Regardless of the facts, G/O Media steadfastly refused to adequately correct its articles.”

Robert Kotick asks for actual, special, genera, punitive and exemplary damages against the defendants.

Activision Blizzard CEO Lawsuit Claims Defamatory Media Collusion