Activision hires Dennis Durkin from Microsoft as finance chief

Activision Blizzard Inc., the largest video-game maker, hired a Microsoft Corp. executive to fill its open chief financial officer position.

Dennis Durkin, 41, replaces Thomas Tippl, who was promoted to Activision’s chief operating officer in March 2010 and had been handling his previous role in finance for the interim until a replacement was named, the Santa Monica, California-based company said today in a statement.

At Microsoft, Durkin served as corporate vice president and chief operating and financial officer of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, which includes the Xbox game-console business. He had been at Microsoft since 1999.

Tippl will continue to oversee Activision’s publishing business and Blizzard Entertainment’s operational activities, the company said. His areas of responsibility include strategic planning, global sales and supply chain, and oversight of the legal and human resources departments.

Activision advanced 0.1 percent to $11.68 at 1:25 p.m. in New York. The shares have lost 5.3 percent this year before today.