In a statement released to Gamasutra, EA corporate communications vice president Jeff Brown blasted the outspoken CEO, saying "Kotick's relationship with studio talent is well-documented in litigation." Over the last two years, Activision has entered legal battles with former Infinity Ward leads James West and Vincent Zampella following the pair's public firing as well as a legal tussle with Tim Schafer's studio Double Fine surrounding the release of Brutal Legend under EA's label.

Brown also took shots at the three largest brands in Activision's catalog: World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero and Call of Duty. "[Kotick's] company is based on three game franchises - one is a fantastic persistent world he had nothing to do with; one is in steep decline; and the third is in the process of being destroyed by Kotick's own hubris."

Activision and EA have continued to square off in the media and in the boardroom. In July 2009, Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey left EA's Visceral Games to form Sledgehammer Games under the Activision umbrella, later revealing they would develop a new title in based in the Call of Duty universe. Following their public release from Activision, Jason West and Vincent Zampella formed Respawn Entertainment and quickly signed a distribution deal with EA. Each studio move has prompted mudslinging from each company, fueling mainstream beliefs that the video game industry is composed of children sobbing from skinned knees.