An overwhelming majority of Call Of Duty players have voiced their enthusiasm for Battlefield 6 over Black Ops 7, but will it translate to actual success?
Battlefield may have never matched the juggernaut sales of Activision’s Call Of Duty, but there was a time when both games were seen as very close rivals.
However, things have taken a sour turn for EA’s shooter over the last decade or so, with 2021’s Battlefield 2042, and its predecessor Battlefield 5, both failing to live up to sales expectations.
Nevertheless, EA seems determined to make Battlefield 6 a success, with four studios – DICE, Motive, Criterion, and Ripple Effect – all working under the ‘Battlefield Studios’ umbrella to put the franchise back on the map.
Whether the gamble of investing all those resources will pay off remains to be seen, but based on a poll, it seems EA has already won over hardcore Call Of Duty players, in part thanks to all the leaked videos.
A poll conducted by prominent Call Of Duty fan account ModernWarzone asked its 922,000 followers whether they were more excited for Battlefield 6 or the next Call Of Duty title Black Ops 7, and the results were pretty surprising.
After 31,417 votes, Battlefield 6 won the poll with 80.5% of the vote, leaving Black Ops 7 with only 19.5%. It’s an overwhelming landslide, especially considering it’s through a Call Of Duty fan account.
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So why is Black Ops 7 failing to win over diehard Call Of Duty fans at the moment? For starters, we barely know anything about it (a full reveal is set for Gamescom in August), but considering it’s the second Black Ops game in a row, there’s a sense we already know exactly what to expect.
‘It’s essentially Black Ops 6, but with a new number,’ one fan wrote. ‘AKA same s*** different day.’
There’s a sense Battlefield 6 could tap into those looking for a purist approach to strategic warfare too, at a time when Call Of Duty is often unfavourably compared to Fortnite, for all its zany Seth Rogen skins and increasingly gross microtransactions.
‘[Battlefield 6] at least has the chance to be something new and fresh,’ another X user added in response.
It seems enthusiasm for Battlefield 6 goes beyond this poll too. According to a LinkedIn post from Alinea Analytics CEO Rickard Linder, Battlefield 6 racked up nearly 500,000 wishlists over the weekend on Steam, following the game’s debut trailer.
The trailer itself has hit over 7.6 million views and while it is much smaller than the 40 million views for the Black Ops 7 teaser, it’s certainly a sizeable amount.
The big question is whether, with this positive momentum, Battlefield 6 will be able to stick the landing. The last entry, Battlefield 2042, was lambasted by fans over its bugs and lack of modes at launch, from which it never recovered.
If leaks are to be believed, Battlefield 6 is set to launch on October 10, ahead of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7. The latter is rumoured to be launching in November, so EA’s shooter may have a whole month to gain some early traction.
Of course, it’s very unlikely Battlefield 6 will come close to the sales of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 – the series has been consistently successful for way too long to be suddenly overtaken. But if Battlefield 6 can just be successful enough, the momentum may be on its side.
Beyond the single-player and multiplayer, which is set to be showcased this week, Battlefield 6 is also rumoured to be getting a battle royale mode akin to Call Of Duty Warzone, which might be launching next year based on a new leak.
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