Activision chief on Call of Duty’s PlayStation 4 deal, Guitar Hero’s revival, and Skylanders’ vehicles

LOS ANGELES — Eric Hirshberg is the man in charge of blockbusters. As chief executive of video game publisher Activision Publishing, he is responsible for titles that include Call of Duty, Skylanders, Destiny, and Guitar Hero. We talked with him one-on-one about each of these games — and the responsibility of creative leadership at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the big gaming trade show in Los Angeles.

Activision’s titles generate billions of dollars in revenue each year, thanks to its ability to churn out one sequel after another in its safe, proven franchises. And yet Hirshberg argues company is still willing to experiment with gameplay and new intellectual properties. Destiny is still fresh, after all, and Skylanders has become a $4 billion business after just four years.