Activision Blizzard Reportedly Considered Buying Kotaku, PC Gamer

Activision Blizzard considered buying Kotaku and PC Gamer to change public opinion about the company, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Tuesday.

The Journal report largely concerns the circumstances around Microsoft's decision to acquire Activision Blizzard for more than $68 billion, announced earlier this week. On the Activision Blizzard side of the deal, CEO Bobby Kotick had reportedly been in search of a way to improve his company's public image amidst several lawsuits and governmental investigations, per people familiar with his thinking. Kotick reportedly floated the idea of buying a gaming-trade publication like Kotaku or PC Gamer.

An Activision spokeswoman has disputed the claims, and Kotaku parent company G/O Media and PC Gamer have yet to comment on the report.

Either acquisition would have been an ethical quagmire considering the conflicts of interest between a game maker and the press attempting to cover it without bias. The simple fact of Activision Blizzard ownership would likely pull some of the teeth from any coverage around its myriad of scandals.

Among those scandals are reports of widespread sexual misconduct and gender-based discrimination at Activision Blizzard and their attendant settlements, plus an investigation by the SEC and a lawsuit accusing the company of misleading investors.