Activision has promoted Rob Kostich to the role of President after working with the company for nearly 15 years, and the former head of Blizzard Mike Morhaime will exit the company he helped create in April.



Congratulations to Rob Kostich on being named the new President of Activision. Over nearly 15 years, we’ve seen your commitment to our games, our players and our employees, and we are excited for the future with you at the helm.https://t.co/sO2g0s8Tbw pic.twitter.com/wlTZBy7Rs6



— Activision (@Activision) January 9, 2019

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Announced through Activision Blizzard’s official investor’s page , Kostich has been with Activision since 2004, primarily acting as the executive vice president and general manager of the Call of Duty franchise.Considering the massive success of the Call of Duty franchise over the 10 years that Kostich has been steering the ship, it’s no surprise he’s been promoted to be the head of Activision as a whole. The official press release states he will oversee strategy and operations for Activision, including game development. Kostich also serves as president of the Call of Duty Endowment. Kostich is replacing Eric Hirshberg, who left Activision nearly one year ago. Last October, Mike Morhaime stepped down as president of Blizzard Entertainment to serve as a strategic advisor and was succeeded by World of Warcraft executive producer J. Allen Brack as president . According to an SEC filing from Activision Blizzard, Morhaime’s role as a strategic advisor is set to conclude on April 7, 2019.Other new appointments include former CFO and SCO Humam Sakhnini overseeing Candy Crush maker King Digital as president. Current CFO of Activision Blizzard Dennis Durkin will now also serve as president of the “Company’s Emerging Businesses,” having him oversee operational management of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues, Activision Blizzard Studios and Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group. Previously, former CFO Spencer Neumann was fired after breaching his contract to become CFO of Netflix.“Rob, Humam, Dennis and J. exemplify our deep bench of operational and commercial leadership. These capable and seasoned executives have shown unwavering commitment to our company, our employees, and our beloved community of fans around the world,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “With these proven, principled leaders at the helm, we will continue to invest in the strategic growth drivers of our business."A Call of Duty game has been the best selling game each year since 2009 , with the exception of Grand Theft Auto V in 2013. As of November 2018’s NPD report , Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was last year’s best selling game, though it’s possible Red Dead Redemption 2 has managed to overtake that spot with December sales.In other Activision news, the publisher and Bungie officially split ways , with Bungie maintaining publishing rights to Destiny.

Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter