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Activision hopes for Tony Hawk Shred sales turnaround over the holidays
It's been a sad story for Tony Hawk Shred, which managed to move a miniscule amount of product -- 3,000 units in its first week, to be exact. Despite marketing efforts such as putting Al Roker on a board and letting him go to town, it would seem that Tony Hawk Shred is bound to the same fate as Tony Hawk Ride. But with the holiday gift-buying season in full swing, Activision has hopes it'll see "a bigger ramp-up" in sales as the holiday season progresses. In talking to Gamasutra, Activision's CEO of publishing, Eric Hirshberg, admits that the company needs to "build awareness" for the title -- Hirschberg says Shred was selected as one of the top 12 holiday gifts on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (worked for Kinect!) and is banking on that exposure -- but attributed some of the sequel's lack of commercial success to the fact that, for the first time in franchise history, it's solely being marketed to kids. It's also "a gift-oriented game," he said, which plays into Activision's hopes that more units will fly off the shelves as consumers get to shopping. For the full interview, a majority of which talks about Call of Duty: Black Ops, hit up the source link below.
New Activision Publishing CEO is Kevin Butler's dad
Did you know that in addition to being the new CEO of Activision Publishing, Eric Hirshberg is also responsible for giving birth to fake Sony pitchman Kevin Butler? It's true, the towheaded adman sprung fully formed from Hirshberg's loins while he was still with marketing firm Deutsch LA. However, he says in a Kotaku interview that he's not interested in plopping out a clone for Activision, saying "Kevin Butler was the right solution for Sony." Hirshberg doesn't take the job until September, so he says he hasn't settled on how he'll be attacking Activision's image problems. Hey Eric, if you're hard up for ideas, you can feel free to co-opt our new character: "Blogger Who Carries On a Birthing Metaphor Too Long Until Both He and the Readers Are Grossed Out." We think he's headed for big things.
Activision Publishing names Eric Hirshberg as new CEO
Activision has announced that Eric Hirshberg has joined Activision Publishing* as its new CEO, replacing Mike Griffith, who is being promoted to the position of Vice Chairman of Activision Blizzard. Hirshberg was formerly the CEO and Chief Creative Officer of ad company Deutsch LA. "In contemplating the requirements for the role of Activision Publishing's new CEO," Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in the announcement, "we believed it was vital to have a leader who was a dedicated gamer, inspired creative thinker, and possessed the ability to manage and lead creative talent in a manner that produced both superior products and provided superior shareholder returns." Kotick called Hirshberg "one of the most inspiring people I know" with a "keen understanding of popular culture." Hirshberg will report to (and inspire!) Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl. *Did you know? Activision Publishing, Inc. (a.k.a. "Activision") is a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, which is majority owned by media conglomerate Vivendi. Activision Publishing continues to exist as a separate brand entity, developing and publishing games, as does Blizzard Entertainment.
