Battlefield 6 Looks Great But It Won't Beat Call Of Duty This Year

"Early impressions of Battlefield 6 from its open beta suggest that Electronic Arts and Battlefield Studios have a hit on their hands, but Battlefield 6 is unlikely to dethrone Call of Duty this year, even if the sentiment around Black Ops 7 is not tracking so highly. "While Battlefield 6 has the potential to perform better than any Battlefield game ever has-- financially and critically--it almost certainly won't outsell Call of Duty," said Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics."

"Elliott said Call of Duty has a core audience that buys in every year, and that isn't expected to change in 2025 "just because Battlefield 6 is rad and tracking incredibly well." EA's Battlefield boss Vince Zampella, a former Call of Duty higher-up, and others like Battlefield GM Byron Beede (also a former CoD boss), have said games like Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 are the inspiration for Battlefield 6. That's resonating with fans who are looking for a return to form for the series that strayed too far, in their eyes, with Battlefield 2042."

"The last entry into the Battlefield series made a number of changes to the franchise's underlying formula, like abandoning its player class system for selectable characters who each had unique, specific abilities. It also had an infamously rough launch that turned away many longtime fans. In a lot of ways, Battlefield 6 is a return to the old way of doing things, and players are responding well so far."

For the first time since 2021, new installments in Call of Duty and Battlefield are releasing in the same year, reigniting comparisons between the franchises. Early open-beta impressions indicate Battlefield 6 has strong critical and player momentum, with design choices that echo Battlefield 3 and 4 and appear to restore elements fans missed after Battlefield 2042. Analysts expect Battlefield 6 could perform better than previous Battlefield entries financially and critically, but they predict it will not outsell Call of Duty in 2025. Call of Duty retains a reliable annual purchasing core that maintains its top paid-FPS position. EA appears to be aligning development and messaging with fan expectations.

Read at GameSpot