Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg recently talked about his thoughts on Activision and the timing of Call of Duty: WWII. "It always seems to happen like that,” he said. “We're all plugged into the same cultural rhythms to a certain extent. Specifically to us, three years ago when we greenlit this thing, we definitely just thought it was time to take the franchise back to its roots.”
The latest entry in the series was recently confirmed as a World War II setting, taking the series back to it's original claim to fame. Hirshberg told Polygon about his experience with the franchise over time.
When it came to going back to its roots, Hirshberg said, "I wouldn't refer to it as a pitch, it's a conversation."
When asked about how Activision reacted to Battlefield 1's return to the early 20th century, he said:
“Well I certainly can't comment on any influences that might have an impact on our competitors, I can speak for us and you know I totally acknowledge that these things do seem to happen in waves like this,” he said. “I mean three years ago when we dreamed up this game and decided it was time to go back to our roots, we could not have known at that time that the year we would launch it would be a year in which there would be several World War II movies in the theaters and that there would be other competitors going back to historical settings.“
What are your thoughts on Call of Duty: WWII and its return to its origins?