Kotick’s comments should surprise no one. The recent two-dollar whore treatment of the “Guitar Hero” franchise, which will continue to see numerous iterations each year, has shown that Activision Blizzard is focused on maximizing revenue. Still, these aren’t the kind of statements you want to hear coming from the CEO of the industry’s largest third-party publisher.

I appreciate Kotick’s honesty, but seriously, what a money-grubbing dick. I understand that Activsion Blizzard has a responsibility to maximize profits for its shareholders. Yes, development costs are rising and companies need to find ways to stay profitable in the current economic climate. THQ recently revealed that it will reduce its workforce by 17%, or 250 employees. Electronics Arts is also looking to save money, as it plans to ax 600 employees.

I am not asking Activision Blizzard to stop publishing sequels. As a devoted “Ratchet and Clank” fan, I enjoy them. However, these sequels must attempt to bring something new to the franchise; not simply exist to make money. Companies should continue developing successful franchises, but also use some of their profits to fund a significant number of new IPs.

With all the money that Activision Blizzard is making off of “World of Warcraft” subscriptions and “Guitar Hero” games, you would think that the company would be willing to take a few more risks. I guess we should be thankful that it decided to publish “Prototype.” “World of Warcraft” now has over 11 million subscribers and “Guitar Hero” is the king of software sales from January to September 2008. That includes every “Guitar Hero”-branded game except the series’ newest iteration, “World Tour.”

If you aren’t convinced that Activision Blizzard is terrible, then I leave you with this: Kotick recently revealed that the company might actually charge money for the user-created content uploaded to the GH (“Guitar Hero”) Tunes service. Seriously, what the hell?

Source: Gamasutra

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