Activision names Sher co-president of film studio

Activision Blizzard announced Wednesday longtime Hollywood producer Stacey Sher will join the publisher as co-president of its newly-formed TV and film studios.

Sher will join former Disney exec Nick van Dyk in running Activision Blizzard Studios, which will create original TV and movie programming based on the video game publisher's franchises, which include Call of Duty, Destiny and Skylanders.

Sher has served as a producer for several movies, most recently last year's release of The Hateful Eight. She also worked on other films directed by Quentin Tarantino including Django Unchained and Pulp Fiction. She also worked as an executive producer for the Comedy Central series Reno 911!

"Stacey is a rare talent behind two decades of award-winning television series and films," said Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick in a statement Wednesday. "Her ability to collaborate with the most inspired, talented people in entertainment and her unyielding commitment to creativity make her perfectly suited to Activision Blizzard Studios."

The first project from Activision Blizzard Studios is the animated series Skylanders Academy, featuring the voices of actors Justin Long and Ashley Tisdale.

The unveiling of the studios is part of a series of moves by Activision Blizzard to diversify its business beyond PC and console video games. Last month, the publisher launched an eSports division with former ESPN and NFL Network chief Steve Bornstein at the helm. One of their first moves was to acquire Major League Gaming, which specializes in streaming eSports events.

"Our acquisition of Major League Gaming's business furthers our plans to create the ESPN of eSports," Kotick said earlier this month when the deal was announced.

In November, Activision Blizzard acquired Candy Crush Saga makers King Digital for $5.9 billion, instantly giving the publisher a massive mobile games audience.

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