Who Owns Activision

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Activision is owned by CEO Bobby Kotick. Activision Publishing Inc. is the publishing business of the parent company, Activision Blizzard. Activision is composed of different subsidiary studios, combined together, makes it the largest third-party video game publisher in the world.

Activision’s History

The company was founded in 1979 and adopted the name Activision, Inc. The founders were former Atari game developers that started their own company. By that time, Activision Inc. is the first third-party video game developer.

After a series of management changes, the company was later purchased by Bobby Kotick. The new Activision company concentrated on pursuing more publishing opportunities which later led to the Call of Duty and Guitar Hero series.

With the growth of the company, a holding company was established. It then later merged with Vivendi Games and created what is now known as Activision Blizzard.

The company manages a number of third-party studios. In 2016, it was ranked as the top video game publisher in the United States.

Who is Bobby Kotick?

Bobby Kotick is an American businessman. He has made contributions not just to Activision Blizzard, but to several major companies as well.

His early career began while he was still in college. In his dorm room, along with a friend, founded the company Arktronics. It didn’t end there.

The company progressed to developing software for Apple II which caught the attention of Steve Jobs. Bobby Kotick received advice from Steve Jobs which he listened to. By 1987, he started to make acquisitions, with the Commodore International being the first.

Fast forward in 1990 and Bobby Kotick became the last light of a company called Mediagenic. By extensively reforming the system, he was able to bring the company back from the grave. Bobby eventually reverted Mediagenic to its former name, Activision.

One thing led to another and everything else is history. Bobby Kotick turned Activision to what it is now known today. The company is the turning point of modern-day gaming. One way or the other, you have played a game that was published by Activision or of a third-party subsidiary.

Activision’s Legacies

Activision studios has published some famous games. You have either played or heard at least one of them. One of the company’s greatest legacy, however, would be the Call of Duty franchise.

Call of Duty remains one of the top-selling recently released games. Who hasn’t heard about them? From international tournaments to merchandise, Call of duty has become a way of life for many.

In the top 50 list of the best-selling games of all time, Call of Duty makes multiple entries. In the 18^th spot is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops take the 26^th and 27^th spots. In the 32^nd is Black Ops II and lastly, Modern Warfare 2 at 38^th.

So much thought goes into every iteration of the franchise. Just take a look at the behind the scenes of the amount of work that went into Modern Warfare.

How Big is Activision?

Activision Blizzard is a major company with various third-party publishers and developers. It is an empire of employees. In 2019, it officially employed over 9,200 people in various different countries and regions.

In 2019, Activision Blizzard made $6.49 billion in revenue. In the same year, it is approximated that the company’s net worth is $50 billion.

Activision Blizzard is a parent company with five business units: Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, Major League Gaming, King, and Activision Blizzard Studios.

Activision Blizzard is a major key player in the gaming industry. They introduced a number of competitive games. Who would have thought that it will all because of the vision of one man, Bobby Kotick.