Activision hired James Corden to host employee meeting with Bobby Kotick
Potential return of Guitar Hero mentioned.
Freed from his tenure as a US talk show host, Gavin and Stacey star James Corden yesterday teamed up with controversial boss Bobby Kotick to host a townhall meeting for Activision Blizzard employees.
The internal event, held days before Microsoft is expected to finally close its $68.7bn takeover of the company, was not available to view publicly, but Windows Central has reported on what was discussed.
Kotick reportedly reminisced about Activision's journey as a company so far and also dropped several hints about its future - including an intriguing mention of the long-dormant Guitar Hero franchise.
There does not seem to have been any mention made of a potential exit by Kotick following Microsoft's acquisition of the business. There also does not seem to have been any mention made of the company's various harassment scandals.
When asked by James Corden how Activision will retain the company's culture while part of Microsoft, Kotick told the Cats star that the company had a "magic" and "special" culture - and that it was that same "magic" which had attracted Microsoft.
Looking to the future of gaming, Kotick told Corden he expected devices akin to Elon Musk's Neuralink - an implantable brain-computer interface - to push things forward.
"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 said, noting that this could mean a headset, earpiece, or "other type of sensor".
Kotick said he was keen to see Activision titles - "the very best franchises in all of video games" - backed by the development research and resources of Microsoft.
"The re-emergence of Guitar Hero and other things would not be possible without the different types of resources," he noted.
Microsoft's expected acquisition of Activision Blizzard this week will close a 20-month chapter of court hearings and regulatory hurdles, as it finally takes ownership of everything from Call of Duty to Candy Crush. Activision has said not to expect its new games on Xbox Game Pass immediately, however.
Image credit: iDominick