After eight years as Activision Publishing CEO, Eric Hirshberg will depart the company in March, the publisher confirmed to IGN today.

An Activision representative provided the following statement to IGN:

After serving for eight years as the CEO of Activision, Eric Hirshberg has decided to leave the company at the conclusion of his contract on March 31st, 2018.

Eric has had a great run, has delivered many historic successes and is departing on a high note after a great year in 2017. As of December 21, 2017, Call of Duty see deal Call of Duty: WWII - PC $53.99on Green Man Gaming

Eric leaves the company in a strong position for growth, with the franchises, pipeline of future products, and leadership team all in a great place. We are grateful for Eric’s strong leadership during his tenure. He is departing with our utmost respect and gratitude for his contributions to the company.

Activision Blizzard is actively conducting a search for the next CEO of Activision.

Loading

“Serving as Activision’s CEO has been an honor and a thrill,” Hirshberg said in a statement. “This is an amazing company. One which routinely delivers epic experiences for our fans on a scale that no one else can. I have nothing but admiration for the incredible team I have had the privilege to lead. And I have nothing but appreciation for Bobby for giving me this transformational opportunity, and also for having the vision and conviction to champion a creative person for a leadership role on this scale.”In a separate statement, overall Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick added, "During Eric’s tenure we’ve had historic performance and great successes. He is an inspiring leader, and we will all miss his creativity and tenacity very much. He is leaving the team, the franchises and the business in a great place, and he goes with my full support and appreciation.”Under Hirshberg Activision enjoyed a successful 2017, with Call of Duty: WWII and Destiny 2 becoming the top two selling games of last year , based on revenue. Call of Duty is also now the top selling video game franchise for nine consecutive years in North America (based on revenue), according to Activision.

Alex Gilyadov is a freelance writer for IGN. Be sure to check out his YouTube channel and follow him on Twitter