Activision Boss Responds to Call of Duty Hate

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare became the most disliked trailer on YouTube earlier this year, but that hasn't stopped Activision from continuing forward with its plan for the game. Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg talked to Mashable at E3 this year and said that it's "doing the same thing after the response as before, which is focusing on making a great game."

Hirshberg added that when Activision focuses on that, it tends to "make fans happy and win people and continue to have the franchise flourish." Fans seem to be upset about Infinite Warfare's futuristic focus, something that Activision saw before with Black Ops II.

"Our previous most-disliked trailer was the reveal trailer for Black Ops II," Hirshberg noted. "[That was] the first time we brought the franchise into the future. And that turned out to be one of our most successful games ever."

Hirshberg added that the publisher hasn't seen the same negative reaction "on other platforms and in other metrics."

"We didn't see it in our preorder momentum, we didn't see it even in the same exact [trailer] on other platforms, like Facebook," he said. "It was unique."

In May, Hirshberg was asked about the trailer's dislikes on YouTube. His answer was a masterclass on spinning a negative into a positive.

"First of all, you've gotta love the passion of gamers," Hirshberg said. "This is an industry like no other, and a fan base like no other, and we love that our fans treat this franchise like it's their own and has such strong points of view about it. There just aren't many entertainment franchises on Earth that can generate the kind of passion that Call of Duty can. That's a good thing."

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 4.

In related news, the upcoming Call of Duty features Game of Thrones' Kit Harington as the bad guy. You can see how he was put into the game here. Additionally, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare remastered is included with deluxe editions of Infinite Warfare, but it won't be sold on its own.

GameSpot's Zorine Te got the opportunity to see Infinite Warfare at E3. In her hands-off preview, she said, "The demo ended on a bang--quite literally. An enormous enemy ship flew into view, confronting the main character's small fleet of ships, and all hell broke loose with a loud explosion. If this preview into the game is anything to go by, it will be the first of many to come."

You can see more of GameSpot's Infinite Warfare coverage through the links below.

• How Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Handles the Lack of Sound in Space
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Story Breaks New Ground, Devs Say
• New Call of Duty Infinite Warfare Trailer Shows Off Dogfights, Zero-G Combat
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Dev Says Story Inspiration Comes From War, Not Sci-Fi
• Why Call of Duty Is Going to Space and What That Allows