Activision boss "optimistic" Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will outsell Ghosts

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has a good chance to outsell previous entries in the series, says Activision publishing boss Eric Hirshberg.

Advanced Warfare has been the subject of some pessimism, with multiple analysts predicting a less stellar performance than previous Call of Duty games have managed.

Speaking to GamesIndustry, Hirshberg was adamant that Advanced Warfare stands a chance of outselling 2013's Ghosts, at least.

"We see purchase intent well above last year and we see engagement with the brand in social media channels all being markedly up, so I'm still optimistic," he said.

Hirshberg said analyst estimates are usually based on pre-orders, sometimes from a single analyst. While pre-orders they may help in gauging potential day-one sales they don't speak to long term sales - something the Call of Duty series is famous for - or digital and online sales.

The executive also made a brief mention of the risk Activision took this year handing the franchise over to a new developer and giving it free reign to take the series in new directions.

"Our brief to [Sledgehammer Games] was: Go further than you think we want you to go. Make us nervous in a good way - and come back with new ideas and new experiences. And they did," Hirshberg said.

Reviews for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare are pretty positive.