Activision: Call of Duty is not in decline

Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg has hit back at critics that claim the Call of Duty series is past its peak.

At a special event that revealed the next game in the series – Call of Duty Ghosts – Hirshberg praised the franchises’ development teams, describing the process of building a new Call of Duty the hardest creative assignment of them all.”

Sometimes people like to write the story and ask the question: ‘How long can Call of Duty last?’” he said.

Sometimes people have suggested that this franchise is cresting or has crested. And I know it seems like it should. But there’s just one problem. It’s not. In fact, by just about every measure we look at, Call of Duty has never been stronger. This franchise is not only still vibrant, it is still growing.

"Sales of the game, sales of the downloadable content, number of monthly active users, the number of daily active users, average play, social media influence, whatever you look at, hard measures or soft measures, this is a franchise that is still on the rise after all this time.

That’s remarkable. Keeping Call of Duty relevant, growing, thriving and still surprising people is not easy. In fact, it might actually be the hardest creative assignment of them all. We are all attracted to the blank page, the creative opportunities where there are no restrictions, but a franchise like Call of Duty has more responsibility to its fans.

"And then to keep coming up with new and meaningful ways to innovate each and every time, to keep it fresh and exciting. I think our teams have done that better than anyone.”

Call of Duty: Ghosts is due on current and next generation platforms and hits shelves on November 5th.

For more on Call of Duty: Ghosts, make sure to read this Friday’s edition of MCV.