Activision president: Call of Duty could be even better with Microsoft

Call of Duty is celebrating its 20th anniversary and Activision’s president is very positive about the future under Microsoft. After all, the Call of Duty franchise is already celebrating its twentieth anniversary this month. The first part was released on October 29, 2003. GamesBeat colleagues recently had the opportunity to interview Activision president Rob Kostich. Kostich talked about a variety of topics, including the $68.7 billion acquisition by Microsoft.

The acquisition is still pending approval from the U.K. regulator CMA, but the current state of information on it is rather encouraging. Kostich believes that the acquisition would benefit Call of Duty. He also said Microsoft has the resources and expertise to make the franchise an even bigger success.Kostich cited two areas where he hopes to see improvements under Microsoft:

• Technical innovation: Microsoft could take Call of Duty to the next level using its proprietary technologies and services.
• Content development: Microsoft could help Activision develop new and innovative content for Call of Duty.

Kostich said he is excited to lead Call of Duty into the future. He is confident that the franchise will continue to be successful under Microsoft.

As we’ve said previously, this deal is good for the industry and will bring more games to more players. In terms of access to resources, being able to tap into Microsoft’s technology and suite of tools would benefit our teams to create even greater, more immersive experiences for our players. Ultimately, it’s about bringing our development team’s creative visions to life in this hyper-competitive environment. The prospect of joining Microsoft is an extraordinary opportunity for our team and our players, and we look forward to an outcome soon.

Present and future work best

In an interview with GamesBeat, Activision President Rob Kostich suggested that the company has learned from the past that present and future scenarios for Call of Duty simply work better. “We’ve made a lot of Call of Duty games in the future,” Kostich said. “We’ve probably gone as far as we can go. We’ve also done some games in the past. Over time, you see where the sweet spot is and what really resonates with the community.”

Kostich cited the Modern Warfare and Black Ops franchises as examples of successful games with present and future scenarios. He said those games are “really popular” and have “done really well.” Kostich explained that it’s a challenge to maintain a realistic tone in games with historical settings. “When you go to World War II or even earlier,” he said, “there’s less flexibility.” In games with present and future scenarios, Kostich said there is more flexibility in weapons, equipment and other game elements.

Kostich’s statements are an indication that Call of Duty will continue to focus on present and future scenarios in the future.

Source: VentureBeat