How Activision CEO aims to make blockbusters out of Destiny 2 and Call of Duty: WWII

Three years ago, Sledgehammer Games and Activision were deciding what to do about 2017’s Call of Duty game. They had veered off into science fiction for the billion-dollar-a-year first-person shooter franchise. But after hashing it over, they all agreed to take their “boots on the ground” video game back to its roots in World War II.

The result is Call of Duty: WWII, which debuts on November 3 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox One X, and the PC. And, alongside Destiny 2, the beta version of the multiplayer for Call of Duty: WWII has been playable this week at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the big game trade show this week in Los Angeles.

Unlock premium content and VIP community perks with GB M A X! Join now to enjoy our free and premium perks. 

Join now →

Sign in to your account.

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.