Exclusive: Ahead of Xbox's acquisition, Activision's Bobby Kotick discussed Microsoft, Elon Musk's Neuralink, and hinted at a Guitar Hero revival in this leaked interview
Kotick and Corden (not me) discuss the future of Activision.
www.windowscentral.com
To that end, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick called an all-hands meeting with Activision-Blizzard-King staff today, hosted by none other than James Corden (no relation, I think) of Gavin & Stacey fame. During the meeting, Kotick reminisced about Activision's journey from independent, to being under Vivendi, and then to becoming a publicly traded company. Kotick also discussed future tech, namechecked Guitar Hero, and hinted about what the future of ABK's partnership with Microsoft may look like
James Corden asked how Kotick and ABK leadership will retain its culture, which Kotick repeatedly described as "magic" and "special" during the discussion. Kotick emphasized his belief that Microsoft wants to acquire the company for that "magic," represented in the 15,000+ staff within Activision, predicting that Microsoft will seek to maintain it moving forward.
"I think a lot [Activision's] motivation is that we have these enormous communities of players of 400 million people in 190 countries around the world who are engaged every single day," Kotick continued, "I think people [at Activision] feel this incredible sense of responsibility to deliver for their players. And so I think that's that recognition, and that appreciation, that the focus will be rewarded in the joy of hundreds of millions of people."
Changing gears a bit, Kotick was asked to look ahead to the future of gaming, and what it could mean for Activision and Microsoft as the firms team up. Kotick discussed machine learning and AI, but also emphasized the need to hire more writers, more actors, to meet the growing expectations of gamers. He also surprisingly namechecked Elon Musk's brain interfacing Neuralink as a potential way for interacting with video games, which he described as a "more visceral" medium than movies and other entertainment media.
Future gaming trends, ABK culture, and
Activision's gaming community is among the most passionate in the industry, with huge dedicated audiences across titles like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)
James Corden asked how Kotick and ABK leadership will retain its culture, which Kotick repeatedly described as "magic" and "special" during the discussion. Kotick emphasized his belief that Microsoft wants to acquire the company for that "magic," represented in the 15,000+ staff within Activision, predicting that Microsoft will seek to maintain it moving forward.
"I think a lot [Activision's] motivation is that we have these enormous communities of players of 400 million people in 190 countries around the world who are engaged every single day," Kotick continued, "I think people [at Activision] feel this incredible sense of responsibility to deliver for their players. And so I think that's that recognition, and that appreciation, that the focus will be rewarded in the joy of hundreds of millions of people."
Changing gears a bit, Kotick was asked to look ahead to the future of gaming, and what it could mean for Activision and Microsoft as the firms team up. Kotick discussed machine learning and AI, but also emphasized the need to hire more writers, more actors, to meet the growing expectations of gamers. He also surprisingly namechecked Elon Musk's brain interfacing Neuralink as a potential way for interacting with video games, which he described as a "more visceral" medium than movies and other entertainment media.
"If you look at the new technologies that are on the horizon, we're going to be able to do things that we've never done before with AI and machine learning. The quality of graphics are now elevated to a place where we're going to need more writing talent and more acting talent — because we won't be able to actually fulfill the expectations of our players." Kotick continued, "Games are always very different than film and television. In film and television, you are successful by creating a connection that's emotional between you and the audience — our experiences are more visceral, but it's changing. We have characters on the screen and video games who with mouth movements and facial animation that is realistic — you're going to have a new dimension of emotional connection that we've not yet mastered."
Kotick also discussed technological innovations, mentioning how mobile devices took gaming from a fairly expensive middle-class pursuit in developed nations in the early days, to a global phenomenon. Xbox lead Phil Spencer often talks about Microsoft's goal to reach all of the world's "2 billion" gamers, and mobile devices will naturally form part of that strategy. However, Kotick was also interested in discussing future tech, such as Elon Musk's Neuralink, as well as VR.
Future gaming trends, ABK culture, and
Activision's gaming community is among the most passionate in the industry, with huge dedicated audiences across titles like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)
James Corden asked how Kotick and ABK leadership will retain its culture, which Kotick repeatedly described as "magic" and "special" during the discussion. Kotick emphasized his belief that Microsoft wants to acquire the company for that "magic," represented in the 15,000+ staff within Activision, predicting that Microsoft will seek to maintain it moving forward.
Advertisement
"I think a lot [Activision's] motivation is that we have these enormous communities of players of 400 million people in 190 countries around the world who are engaged every single day," Kotick continued, "I think people [at Activision] feel this incredible sense of responsibility to deliver for their players. And so I think that's that recognition, and that appreciation, that the focus will be rewarded in the joy of hundreds of millions of people."
BIG DEAL DAYS
(Image credit: Windows Central)
• Xbox accessories under $100
• Xbox accessories under $75
• The best gaming desktop deals
• The best gaming laptop deals
• Deals on PC parts under $100
• Deals on PC parts under $75
• Deals on PC parts under $50
• Deals on PC parts under $25
Changing gears a bit, Kotick was asked to look ahead to the future of gaming, and what it could mean for Activision and Microsoft as the firms team up. Kotick discussed machine learning and AI, but also emphasized the need to hire more writers, more actors, to meet the growing expectations of gamers. He also surprisingly namechecked Elon Musk's brain interfacing Neuralink as a potential way for interacting with video games, which he described as a "more visceral" medium than movies and other entertainment media.
Advertisement
"If you look at the new technologies that are on the horizon, we're going to be able to do things that we've never done before with AI and machine learning. The quality of graphics are now elevated to a place where we're going to need more writing talent and more acting talent — because we won't be able to actually fulfill the expectations of our players." Kotick continued, "Games are always very different than film and television. In film and television, you are successful by creating a connection that's emotional between you and the audience — our experiences are more visceral, but it's changing. We have characters on the screen and video games who with mouth movements and facial animation that is realistic — you're going to have a new dimension of emotional connection that we've not yet mastered."
Advertisement
Future tech, machine learning, and Guitar Hero
A mountain of franchises await Xbox Game Pass subscribers as part of this deal. (Image credit: Microsoft)
Kotick also discussed technological innovations, mentioning how mobile devices took gaming from a fairly expensive middle-class pursuit in developed nations in the early days, to a global phenomenon. Xbox lead Phil Spencer often talks about Microsoft's goal to reach all of the world's "2 billion" gamers, and mobile devices will naturally form part of that strategy. However, Kotick was also interested in discussing future tech, such as Elon Musk's Neuralink, as well as VR.
"I talked a little earlier about the physical experience of interacting with something on screen. I think you'll see things like Neuralink — you'll actually be able to interact with things on the screen, where there isn't a controller." Kotick continued that it might be a Neuralink, but also an earpiece, headset, or "some other type of sensor." Kotick began discussing how Microsoft Research could aid with this pursuit, while heavily hinting at Guitar Hero.
A big part of what I've seen in Microsoft is research. And they do development in areas that are extraordinary. And so being able to tap into their AI and machine learning capability, the data analytics, new ways of thinking about graphics — I just see unlimited potential for what we do," Kotick explained. "We're uniquely situated as a company because we have the very best franchises in all of video games."
Kotick looked ahead to the "next 10 years of gaming," reminiscing about transformative titles from Activision's back catalog like Pitfall, River Raids, and Kaboom! of decades past. Kotick also namechecked Guitar Hero, hinting that it's currently on the path to a revival: "The re-emergence of Guitar Hero and other things would not be possible without the different types of resources. And so, you know, just the endless possibilities for the future that are just incredibly exciting."
Last edited:
two insufferable toxic losers it makes sense
