Activision on Call of Duty: "We're not taking anything for granted"

Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg is not worried about Call of Duty: Ghosts preorder figures being "well below" from those of Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

In an interview with Joystiq, Hirshberg said the downturn in preorder numbers for the new game are in line with what the company saw during the past console transition.

More uncertainty exists now because consumers are not sure if they're going to upgrade from current- to next-generation consoles or what platforms their friends may be on. This all leads to lower initial preorder numbers, but is nothing to be alarmed by, Hirshberg said.

"Actually, if you look statistically at past console transitions, it's the biggest franchises that have actually fared the best through the transition," he said.

Despite this historical model to go by, Hirshberg said Activision's only goal is to deliver a compelling product in Call of Duty: Ghosts this fall.

"We're not taking anything for granted. I don't care about that statistical analysis," Hirshberg said. "What works for us year in and year out is making a great game and providing our fans with an awesome experience; with the right balance between making the game that everyone knows and loves, but that has a lot of new ideas and a lot of fresh thinking in it so that you want to come and experience it and play it."

Activision and Infinity Ward took the wraps of the multiplayer mode for Call of Duty: Ghosts during a Los Angeles event yesterday. The game mode is described as the most significant overhaul since 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Call of Duty: Ghosts launches November 5 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions will release later. All downloadable content for the game will be available first on Xbox platforms.