Advertising executive Eric Hirshberg tapped as head of Activision Publishing

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Ad exec named head of Activision Publishing

NEW YORK — Activision Blizzard Inc. has named Eric Hirshberg, an advertising executive with a background in video games, as the CEO of Activision Publishing effective Sept. 7.

Hirshberg, 42, replaces Mike Griffith, who stepped down in April and became vice chairman of Activision Blizzard. Hirshberg has served as the CEO and chief creative officer of Deutsch LA, a marketing and advertising agency whose clients include Sony Corp.’s PlayStation business, DirecTV and mobile phone company HTC, among others.

“I really feel like everything I have done in my whole career has prepared me for this,” said Hirshberg in a phone interview.

Deutsch LA created a popular TV ad campaign for the PlayStation 3 featuring a buttoned-up character named Kevin Butler. Flanked by fictional titles such as “Director of Game Accuracy,” he uses dry humor to sell the console with the slogan “it only does everything.”

At Activision Blizzard, Hirshberg will report to Chief Operating Officer Thomas Tippl and will oversee the operations of Activision Publishing, the side of the company behind games such as the “Call of Duty” series and “Guitar Hero.”

Shares of Santa Monica, Calif.-based Activision climbed to $11.19 in afternoon trading.