App Trigger retracts a story it previously published on February 5, 2026, titled “Bobby Kotick in the Epstein files? Not exactly a surprising development.”
The story discussed a case brought against Activision Blizzard by the California Civil Rights Department while Kotick led the company. On January 17, 2024, the court entered a consent decree that stated in part:
“No court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard; that Activision Blizzard senior executives ignored, condoned, or tolerated a culture of systemic harassment, retaliation, or discrimination; or that Activision Blizzard’s Board of Directors, including its Chief Executive Officer, Robert Kotick, acted improperly with regard to the handling of any instances of workplace misconduct.”
The story also discussed emails Kotick exchanged with Jeffrey Epstein. The story did not intend to imply that Kotick was scandal-prone or that he had a close relationship with Epstein, and App Trigger disclaims any such implication. In a letter, Kotick’s attorney stated that Kotick did not have a close relationship with Epstein. The letter states in part:
“In 2012 and 2013, Epstein attempted to persuade Mr. Kotick to personally invest in Epstein’s investment fund. Notably, in every instance, Epstein reached out to Mr. Kotick first—not the other way around—and Mr. Kotick merely provided polite but largely dismissive responses. Epstein and Mr. Kotick were not friends or colleagues ever. It was represented to Mr. Kotick at the time that Epstein was Leslie Wexner’s personal money manager with a supposedly successful investment fund and relationships with numerous influential people. While Mr. Kotick was cordial in his dealings with Epstein, he was always skeptical of him as a serious investor. Mr. Kotick was obviously unaware of the misconduct in which Epstein engaged. Had Mr. Kotick known of Epstein’s heinous and disgusting crimes, he never would have engaged with him in any way.”