Kotick: Sony, MS, EA will 'struggle' to challenge us in future

[Feels Good Man]

Kotick: Sony, MS, EA will 'struggle' to challenge us in future
Tuesday 21-Sep-2010 1:00 PM Exec says Activision is no longer competing with console publishers

Activision boss Bobby Kotick has claimed that traditional console companies such as Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo face a "struggle" to "figure out" an online future - one which the US publisher has already cracked.

In yet more incendiary comments about rival companies, Kotick said that because of Activision's online dominance, it no longer considers itself competing with "console dependant companies".


Indeed, Kotick said that Activision's closest competitor in the online space was Facebook.

"Because we're in a lot of different businesses, we have a lot of different competitors," Kotick told the America Merrill Lynch Media, Comms and Entertainment conference.

"Our competitor online [is] Facebook in some respects. Even though they don't create content, they provide it. There are a lot of new social gaming companies that are emerging and take mindshare - not from our consumer, [because they're] a different demographic. But there's the potential that some of the social games will start appealing to our consumers so we're making a lot of investments in that area.

"But the traditional companies - the Electronic Arts, or Sony or Microsoft or Nintendo or Disney - that make console-based video games, are going to really struggle [in future] to figure out how to get into these online business we're in today."

Kotick claimed that Activision's 2007 'merger' with Vivendi - which saw the French media powerhouse effectively buy the US publisher - has put it in a more secure position than any other games company, largely thanks to Blizzard's infrastructure.

"It was why we sold control of our company to Vivendi," he added. "We recognised that developing all of the capabilities that Blizzard had ourselves would probably put us in a place where we would have... not [only] a decline in our operating margin, but no operating margin. We would invest billions of dollars in all this online capability - and likely actually not produce a great result.

"There [was] so much built-up expertise at Blizzard when we did this merger - that we're now applying to Call Of Duty, Tony Hawk, Guitar Hero - that we otherwise wouldn't have had access to. That puts us in a much better position than many of the very console-dependant companies we used to compete against."

Used to compete against. Bobby's above all that now.

Kotick used his presentation to claim that Activision is no longer simply aiming to be the "biggest interactive entertainment company" - but rather the "biggest entertainment company". As in, full stop. Wowsers.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=265557

Oh lawd

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Oh suck a dick Kotick, he's by far one of the stupidest people at Activision, and Activision has a lot of stupid people.

 

[Goli]

Oh suck a dick Kotick, he's by far one of the stupidest people at Activision, and Activision has a lot of stupid people.

Activision is stupid.

 

[monkat]

Honestly, I can see what he's saying - online gaming is on the rise, and with cloud computing dominating right now, things could be headed that direction.

Fortunately, I think that it is going to be a long time until then, and if console gaming does die out as a trend, I have a hard time believing Nintendo, at least, would put any of their games on another machine these days - people aren't going to stop buying any Zelda, Mario, or Metroid game ever again because of Activision.

 

[DiscostewSM]

Man, I don't want September to be known as 'Kotick' month with all the crap he's spewed out so far. My birthday is this month (in about a week).

 

[TM2-Megatron]

hah, it'll be a cold day in the arctic hell before cloud computing or gaming comes to Canada, with its pathetic bandwidth limits and generally bastardly telecom policies.

That said, there's still something I like about having a physical package/DVD/cartridge/whatever. The only way I'd get into cloud gaming is if it were dirt cheap, as you're really getting nothing for your money other than the ability to play for however long the company decides to let you.

 

[omatic]

When you have Bungie and Blizzard in your pocket, with the rights to Call of Duty, you can be a total dick in interviews. They're making mad money on the game series' that they own, and it's not going to stop soon.

 

[monkat]

hah, it'll be a cold day in the arctic before cloud computing or gaming comes to Canada

so....it's already there.

 

[Midna]

I'm never gonna go near this guy. All the crap spewing from his mouth would smell really bad.

 

[Bladexdsl]

i hate this guy more than anything now m$/sony your off the hook!

 

[injected11]

Oh suck a dick Kotick

Guess when your head is that far up your own ass, you'll talk a lot of shit.

 

[Canonbeat234]

When you have Bungie and Blizzard in your pocket, with the rights to Call of Duty, you can be a total dick in interviews. They're making mad money on the game series' that they own, and it's not going to stop soon.

Bingo! Activision is saying a lot of crap because of CoD which is still like a pusedo game of Halo. Hey, Kotick while we are on the subject, tell me why Activision is remaking a RARE game that was published by Nintendo? Why not make a James Bond game of your own origin? Oh wait, EA has the rights to that game so that will mean...Activision is going online due to the fact they can't dominate in the gaming industry.

 

[DSGamer64]

Man, I don't want September to be known as 'Kotick' month with all the crap he's spewed out so far. My birthday is this month (in about a week).

Me too brah, in 8 days

Oh, and Activision doesn't know shit about online gaming. What have they done to create anything unique for online gaming? Steam is still the best online delivery system on the planet and the fact that it is also an integrated communications tool that allows you to play games with your friends is even better. What has Activision done in the last 5 years? The only thing they did was Battle.net 2.0 which already had the framework from the original Battle.net in place which was created by Blizzard long before Activision bought them. And this clown thinks that any of their online play from non-Steam games is really all that good, they are full of crap.

No online system is going to be truly great unless it's as robust as Steam is, which to be honest is downright impossible on a console without massive storage and very fast servers for which you can provide games.

 

[DSGamer64]

hah, it'll be a cold day in the arctic hell before cloud computing or gaming comes to Canada, with its pathetic bandwidth limits and generally bastardly telecom policies.

That said, there's still something I like about having a physical package/DVD/cartridge/whatever. The only way I'd get into cloud gaming is if it were dirt cheap, as you're really getting nothing for your money other than the ability to play for however long the company decides to let you.

Well you don't have to pay taxes for games on Steam, I have never payed tax on them and I am Canadian. That is one of the biggest advantages for me, it cuts down on production costs of producing a disc, art work and the cases which can save a few dollars. Then again, PC games have always been cheaper even for the same games as their console counterparts.

 

[jan777]

All this while you're struggling to challenge Nintendo.

 

[Thoob]

I LOVE YOU BOBBY KOTICK.

 

[SPH73]

Bobby Kotick is a master troll.

 

[ojsinnerz.]

Bobby Kotick is a fucking genius in the business world. The idea of exploiting a popular franchise to death and making birrions in the process.

Nobody is going to be able to stop Activision become the largest in the world. The public (And masses of idiots here) won't stop buying their games, and there's nothing we can do to change that, because everyone can't stop playing an fps game, a genre that improve itself as much as sports games.

 

[Rydian]

Bobby Kotick is a master troll.

Somebody you look up to, eh? XD

Man, this guy's like the Anti-Jack-Thompson.

 

[Joe88]

Bobby Kotick is a master troll.

Somebody you look up to, eh? XD

I lol'd

but yeah
they see me trollin', they hatin'