Activision: 'We're the same guys we've always been'

Speaking in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Activision's head of developer relations, Dan Winters, has spoken about the company's image and the lessons it's learned from Blizzard.

Winters believes that the perception of the "warm and cuddly Activision; the scrappy, loveable number two," changed after the merger with Blizzard combined with the phenomenal success of the Call of Duty franchise catapulted the publisher to the number one spot.

"We went from being a very successful company, number two before the merger - in fact in terms of the market share perspective we were teetering on the number one - and then we went to delivering 25 million copies of Call of Duty to consumers at a time when we had Blizzard expanding on the World of Warcraft front. There's a greater responsibility for a broader audience now," he said.

"That doesn't mean that we've changed our perspective at all. We have the same sensibility and we're still the same small town folks that we were before, just with a lot more work to do."

Asked how the cultures of both Activision and Blizzard have come together, Winters said he believes that Blizzard has taught Activision a lot about maintaining a community of dedicated fans.

"With Blizzcon, things like that, it's all about community and being part of that special club. We learned a lot from those guys. I'd like to think that there's a good collaboration on both sides of the coin, but I've gotta tell you, those guys are really wicked smart. Any time we get a chance to go over and pick their brain on anything, we certainly take advantage of that."

As previously reported, Winters also said that the Guitar Hero franchise is not dead, just resting.

The full interview can be found here.