Game Over for Activision Executive

Activision today announced the resignation of President of Publishing Kathy Vrabeck earlier this month from the company though she will remain with the firm through the end of her employment contract on April 1st 2006, according to a report at GamesIndustry.biz.

Vrabeck joined Activision in 1999 and was appointed president of the firm's Publishing division in late 2003. One of the most senior women in what is a male-dominated industry, Vrabeck is widely credited with playing a key role in helping to build Activision's recent success.

Industry analysts treated the announcement with a mixture of surprise and disappointment. According to Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities, Vrabeck was "key member of management and a capable executive" and that her departure "adds some uncertainty regarding the strength of the management team going forward." However, Patcher maintains his confidence that Activision has "has sufficient bench strength to match its leading stable of marquee games and development talent."

Activision has provided no official reason for Vrabeck's departure though speculation has centered that her decision was based on the company's appointment of former Procter and Gamble exec Michael Griffith as CEO of Activision Publishing in June, an appointment many industry observers believed Vrabeck would receive.

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