An Activision Blizzard shareholder, Kyle Watson, filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard and its Board of Directors over the deal with Microsoft, which bought the company and incorporated it. The allegations concern the possible conflict of interest following the merger, given that it is judged not in favor of Activision Blizzard but rather of its directors. For example, the hefty liquidation that CEO Bobby Kotick would receive if he were fired from Microsoft ($ 15 million) is cited. The deal struck between Microsoft and Activision would not respect the one made between Activision and its shareholders, according to Watson and his lawyers. Under the agreements with Microsoft, Activision Blizzard will be acquired at a cost of $ 95 per title, for a total of $ 68.7 billion. Bobby Kotick remains in charge of the company, despite issues related to his involvement in allegations of gender discrimination and sexual harassment of employees. The current state, Microsoft’s acquisition has yet to be evaluated by the Federal Trade Commissionand the Redmond company said it wanted to complete the proceedings by June 2023. An Activision lawyer told the US website Polygon that the company “disagrees with the allegations and expects to show its reasons in court”.
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