Activision Blizzard Inc. on Monday said it hired Dennis Durkin, a former Microsoft executive, to be its chief financial officer.

Durkin, 41, will replace Thomas Tippl, who had been serving in the post on an interim basis since being promoted to chief operating officer of the Santa Monica video game maker in 2010.

Durkin most recently served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business, which includes its popular Xbox gaming console. He earlier worked on Microsoft’s corporate development and strategy team, including two years based in London. Before joining Microsoft, Durkin was a financial analyst at Alex Brown and Co.

“Dennis joins us with more than 15 years of multinational experience in finance and operational management, and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise as we continue to build our business around the world,” said Chief Executive Bobby Kotick in a statement.

The announcement was made a few hours before the market closed. Activision shares closed up 4 cents, or less than 1 percent, to $11.71 on the Nasdaq.