"Tim Schafer's comment that Bobby Kotick 'makes a big deal about not liking games' just isn't true," Maryanne Lataif, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications at Activision Blizzard said in a (honest to god) statement. "Bobby has always been passionate about games, and loves the video game industry. But as CEO of a company that makes games enjoyed by millions of people worldwide, the demands on his time now make it difficult to play games as often as he'd like to or as much as he once did."

"I need to keep my mouth shut," he said. "It is shocking how you really burn bridges in the industry. You start your own company and you don't have to work for that jerky boss any more. Not naming names.

"Then it's like Empire Strikes Back - you walk in the room and, 'Holy s*** Darth Vader's at the table.' It's such a small industry, you see the same people over and over again. No-one ever goes away."