Activision Boss Quits

28 Apr 2010 at 11:46:06 by Gunnar Petzall

CEO and president of Activision Publishing, Mike Griffith has resigned his responsibility with Activision.

Griffith's step down is effective from 23 April, but he retains a position as vice-chairman of Activision Blizzard on a 12-month rolling contract, according to Gameindustry.biz.

Activision's publishing branch, where Griffith up until recently was heading, is currently deeply involved in a very messy, public battle, known here as the Infinity Ward Debacle. We have made two in-depth columns on it, one published in early March, and anther one published just two weeks ago. Since then, there has been even more twists and turns to the ongoing drama. In short, it's related to the record-breaking success of Modern Warfare 2. It's not clear if Griffith's resignation is linked with the aforementioned debacle or not.

His position with Activision-Blizzard will earn him a basic salary of $250,000 per year, with a discretionary bonus of 50 per cent (pro-rated) based on his previous roles for the first part of 2010, while he'll also likely be due 50,000 company shares, made up of common and restricted stock, subject to the approval of the board's Compensation Committee. As resignations go, this is a pretty good deal.

The new role will include "participating in board of directors and chairman of the board meetings and other internal strategy sessions; providing counsel to Activision Blizzard's executive team; and providing services on key initiatives and projects, as requested by the CEO."

Griffith joined Activision in 2005 and has had a finger in many major events of the company since then, including the merger with Vivendi Games (Blizzard), as well as the initial success of the music game genre and the continued rise of the Call of Duty franchise.

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