Activision Blizzard Donates to USO Out of Their Deep, Deep Pockets

Activision has announced that for every copy of Call of Duty: World at War sold at the Washington D.C. GameStop store during the pre-release event today, Veteran’s Day, Activision will donate $10 to the USO. But after CEO Bobby Kotick’s recent comments regarding adding subscription fees to Guitar Hero, Activision’s donation to the USO seems more like an apology than sheer altruism.

Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, had recently said that his company’s stable subscription revenue from World of Warcraft gives them an advantage over other companies, and he wanted to do the same thing for Guitar Hero. Mentioning that users of Guitar Hero: World Tour have already created 25,000 songs for the title, using the new music creation feature, he added, “The ability to offer these songs on a subscription basis may very well result in the newest subscription opportunity in our portfolio.” In other words, “lots more money.”

Of course the public was not happy, and Activision immediately came out with their plan to donate to the USO. They also added that they have donated more than $100,000 worth of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock “for use in USO gaming lounges and mobile USO fleets.” Because of the timing, it’s pretty clear Activision is trying to say they’re sorry for letting the CEO of the company be honest with the public. Lesson learned: No CEO should ever speak honestly to fans of the company. Or, at least don’t suggest charging money for free content from behind your solid gold podium.