Kotick buys Kevin Butler (sorta kinda)

[Shakermaker]

Activision Publishing's new head honcho may be the man behind Sony's tie-wearing, trash-talking fake spokesman Kevin Butler, but that doesn't mean the largest publisher in the world will be getting their own fake executive hero soon.

Eric Hirshberg, who becomes Activision Publishing's new CEO in September, acknowledged some of the issues Activision faces when it comes to the way gamers think about Activision and promised to help repair that damaged relationship, just not with a second Butler.

"Kevin Butler was the right solution for Sony," Hirshberg told Kotaku.

How is he going to deal with Activision's perception problem? He's not saying, but he knows it's there.

"I'm not in the building yet," he said. "I only have my perceptions as a outsider to go on. I think that Activision, based on the number of great gaming experiences they have delivered, should be a more beloved brand than you would think they are by reading the core-gaming blogosphere.

"I think I will be helping to kind of find an equilibrium between that and the general tone of the public discourse."

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Activision's solution to its current situation is to throw more marketing at it, it seems. Interesting move.

 

[Krynn72]

Good luck with that buddy.

 

[OmegaX]

So Kotick is no longer going to be CEO?

 

[Mr. Djees]

Kotick is the CEO of Activision Blizzard, Activision Publishings parent company.

 

[VictimOfScience]

Hahaha! Good luck to 'em. Anything remotely similar to Butler will just ooze desperation and lack of creativity. Oh wait...

 

[VirusType2]

Exactly. Desperation was the word that came to mind.

 

[<RJMC>]

kotick: hey look I care about you the gamers,look I hired this guy that made that speech in the e3 and is hilarious and loved by all of you....dont you see??....

*some days later*

butler:*walks to office,guard stops him* hey whats this?

guard: you cant pass mr butler...

 

[Krynn72]

I can't wait for the day its realized that Hirshberg actually succeeded and gamers all over now love Activision... then the story breaks that he wasn't paid any of the money owed to him and that he is filing a lawsuit against them for several million dollars.

 

[Deleted member 56031]

I can't wait for the day its realized that Hirshberg actually succeeded and gamers all over now love Activision... then the story breaks that he wasn't paid any of the money owed to him and that he is filing a lawsuit against them for several million dollars.

omg i loled

 

[Shakermaker]

Wow, Hirschberg's first quote is an instant classic:

The Call of Duty franchise is a force of nature. I think it is the closest thing this generation has to a Star Wars. I think it's unique and bigger than any musical act or any movie franchise in that capacity.

Source: IGN

 

[Bad^Hat]

Haha, unique.

I've played and enjoyed almost every CoD game to date, but that's a bit of a stretch.