When it comes to product shelf life, even cutting-edge video games have an expiration date.

So in his new role as vice president of brand development and licensing at Activision Inc., Greg Goldstein is looking to avoid flash-in-the-pan fads by acquiring licensing rights to entertainment brands and characters that will outlast today’s consumer trends.

“I am pursuing entertainment properties that have staying power,” Goldstein said. “Some brands that we currently own such as the Marvel (comic book) characters like X-Men and Spiderman have been around for awhile. They have a lot of familiarity with the consumer, and they make interesting games.”

With Sony’s PlayStation 2 scheduled for release in this country in the fall, and other video game giants like Nintendo working on new platforms as well, Goldstein anticipates significant growth in the video game industry.

“Gaming is a huge piece of the entertainment dollar,” he said. “All the research suggests that this business is growing and has tremendous potential. I can picture a unit like PlayStation 2 landing in every living room in America.”

Although currently enjoying the widespread success of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game, the Santa Monica-based company faces challenges in the highly competitive industry.

“There are a lot of gaming companies out there,” Goldstein points out. “Some of them are chasing the same properties we are. The problem is that there are a finite amount of entertainment and sports brand properties that have both tremendous appeal and the ability to make great games.”

Goldstein, who declined to specify which characters he is hoping to license, previously served as vice president of licensing and product development at Inkworks, where he was instrumental in developing entertainment products based on characters like James Bond and films like “Men in Black” and “Planet of the Apes.”