Despite Recent Reports, Activision Says Advanced Warfare Can Outsell Ghosts

"We see purchase intent well above last year … so I'm still optimistic," Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg says.

Many video game industry analysts believe that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare won't sell as many copies as 2013's Call of Duty: Ghosts, but Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg doesn't think that way.

"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," Hirshberg said in an interview.

Hirshberg pointed out that many of the analyst sale estimates for Advanced Warfare were based on preorders for physical versions of the game.

"Preorders are a good barometer for day one, but I don't think they reflect the overall demand for the product," he explained. "[They] don't represent what they used to--because of the move to digital and all the ways people can buy the game."

Also in the interview, Hirshberg revealed the message he gave to Advanced Warfare developer Sledgehammer Games at the onset of development. In short, he wanted the team to take risks and push things forward. "Our brief to them 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.