INTERVIEW: ERIC HIRSHBERG, CEO, ACTIVISION PUBLISHING
Gunning for more
As night follows day, Activision releases a new Call of Duty each year – but for 2011 the firm is upping the ante with its most ambitious game plus a new online service. Even in the face of genuine opposition from big rival EA, CEO Eric Hirshberg is confident the firm will maintain its leadership position. He explains the plan of attack to Michael French
THREE MINUTES. That’s how long it takes Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg to mutter the C-word. And we don’t mean ‘Call of Duty’, the eighth instalment of which – Modern Warfare 3– was finally officially unveiled last week. We mean ‘competition’. Because, as Hirshberg himself says, “When you are in the number one position you have a lot of people gunning for you.” Certainly, all eyes are on Activision this year. You know the backstory: Call of Duty, the blockbuster franchise, made $1bn in two months with 2009’s Modern Warfare 2, then $1bn in six weeks with 2010’s Black Ops. And if there’s no limit to that growth, as Hirshberg says, it’s no surprise rivals want a slice of the action. This year, Modern Warfare 3is being challenged by EA’s Battlefield 3. Is Activision concerned? “It sounds trite but it’s true: we focus on what we need to do to make the best games we can. We don’t pay much mind looking at what the competitors are doing. I know they are focused on us… well that’s all I’ll say.”
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It’s the stock answer a figure like Hirshberg is supposed to give, but it doesn’t take much pushing to get more out of him. EA’s well-publicised fury (CEO John Riccitiello said the firm was out to ‘take down’ Call of Duty) surely must have some bearing on what Activision is doing? “Well, I think EA might talk about our games in the press more than we do,” he jokes. “So, the first thing I say to them is ‘Thanks for the assistance in building awareness.’ “But when you think about it, we’ve had tough competition every year for Call of Duty. It’s never been easy. This is one of the most competitive genres in one of the most competitive industries. Last year we had Halo: Reachand Medal of Honor, and it’s not like they weren’t amazing developers gunning for the top of this mountain either. And it’s the same this year – Gears of War is back along with lots of other games. “So, of course, we take all the competition really seriously. But at the end of the day I really mean it when I say we are focusing on the
“
When you are in the number one position you have a lot of people gunning for you.
Eric Hirshberg, Activision
finish line, not the competition. We are making the best game we can, and are throwing every resource, innovation and all the creativity we can at it. And hopefully that will maintain our position.”
DUTY-BOUND
And Activision certainly has quite an enviable position. Call of Dutyis the number one franchise in the world. Can the firm really keep growing it? “I hope so,” says Hirshberg. “I won’t
make any financial prognostications but we do seem to be continuing to maintain momentum. This is a franchise that has grown every year of its seven-year existence. It generates more and more online connected play every single year. “The average Black Opsplayer spends 58 minutes per day in multiplayer. For comparison, the average Facebook user spends 55 minutes per day on that service. That’s an encouraging pattern, and it’s up to us to continue to deliver great gaming experiences and find new ways to surprise, to surpass expectations for those players, and
June 3rd 2011 27
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