Yes, it is time once again to ponder the same question as two years ago. That question being, “Will Battlefield beat out CoD and take the #1 spot in the universe?” In other words, will it break records and day one sales across the board? It is a very good question that many people ponder and fan-boys flame war about. This question is probably #2 and right next to the question “Which is better, Xbox or PlayStation?”
Well, I, CptainCrunch, am here to answer that question for you. That answer is…… no.
Now before all the rage starts and hate mail/tweets comes in, hear me out on this. It is not that Call of Duty is so great and appealing to everyone that it just cannot be beat and will be the remaining juggernaut for all times. It is also not because Battlefield is such a terrible game and the only thing it has going for it is pretty lighting from the Frostbite engine. No, the reason is much more simple. Activision won the marketing war against EA a few years ago. You see, EA has had some rough years and some decisions it made on its part probably did not help the situation. You also had DICE re-defining itself as not just a Battlefield making developer, but a REAL game developer. So we had Battlefield 2 and 2142 and then it went quiet for Battlefield. While 2142 was starting to get old and stale for a game, Infinity Ward announces CoD:4 Modern Warfare. It was truly one of the best FPS games made to date. It is probably my #2 favorite of all time. No, BF3 is not my #1 ( gasp ). I would have to say 2142 holds that spot.
Anyway, Activision positioned CoD in a GREAT spot. They gave the world to CoD4 for PC, Xbox, and PS3. You wanted it, CoD had it. They had HUGE events and marketing as well as community things online where anyone around the world could join in the fun. Word got out. People loved the new game and it’s modern design and feel. The game had all kinds of customization, rankings, mod tools, dedicated servers, even free maps. CoD:4 was the gaming worlds’ pearl. It broke all kinds of records and did very well. People were going crazy over it. Then Treyarch released W@W and it had many of the same things, but some less things. Then MW2 came out and that game made it clear that PC need not apply. Things were stripped from the game and it was obviously console focused. Each release had more for Xbox and less for PC, PS3, and the overall communities. About this time the world new CoD. If you owned a console you got Madden and CoD for your games by default. It was like the Mario/Duck Hunt of Nintendo. How do you beat that?
So now Activision has closed down and isolated its community. All the news is tightly controlled and spun hard. No more major events or open interviews. It is not like it was for CoD:4 or even MW2. The reason is because they created this tsunami of CoD and is simply riding that wave. The biggest thing being touted about CoD:Ghosts is its really smart fish and a dog you can control ( which btw is probably going to die saving your life in the game ). They talked about how they really updated the engine, but comparing it to the other CoD titles, the updates are very minor. They moved around some perks and adjusted a few things and that is that. Because of the position Activision has it in though, it is the default FPS game to buy.
Meanwhile EA realizes they have a hit with Frostbite and they have made it clear they want that #1 spot. How I think they are going to do it is by taking away market share not with one game, but with possibly three. Battlefield 4 is the next big titan to smack CoD around. They are making a lot of changes to the game and bringing back some BF2 items as well. It is obviously the big guy to go at it. However, just coming around the corner is Respawn Entertainments sci-fi FPS TitanFall. The former Infinity Ward cast is bringing in a new age game with some different tricks. They made CoD what it was and probably know what made it such a great game. Though I myself am not impressed with TitanFall, many have been drawn to it already. The third game is Bad Company 3. It is that casual style Battlefield game that is going to get the casual player that also loves CoD. So you can buy CoD and get the same game again, or, you can have your choice on BF4, TitanFall, and later BC3.
Comparing both games is really not fair to either game though. Each has its niche and have something different to offer. The problem for Activision, if it is one, is that CoD is no longer moving. You can say what you want or look at it whatever angle you need to, but the game has been just about the same for the last three games. The problem for EA is that Battlefield is kind of a long paced game with a learning curve toward vehicles and teamwork. One game is more casual and the other has more options in how you play.
I think Battlefield 4 is going to be VERY successful. It is going to beat the BF3 sales and really take off. EA and DICE is going to see more numbers across all platforms as well as the next gen consoles. It will be fun for just about everyone but those that complain no matter what happens. It just isn’t going to beat CoD…..yet.
So enjoy the upcoming BF4 and the news with it and if you plan to get it, get it. It will be fine and a great game. Don’t worry about what CoD is doing because it’s going to be doing the same things it has been doing the last three years.
Crunch Time 
I’m rather optimistic that this won’t be CoD’s year, but I actually think you are right in that this isn’t Battlefields year either. Titanfall is probably going to take a chunk out of CoD but Battlefield 4 already has its loyal fanbase and people it gained from CoD since BF3. So soon it may be Titanfalls year. But of course time will tell.
In a sense it wont. I don’t think CoD will break the all time records like they have the last several years. I think this will be the start of their decline.
I could be wrong because of them being the Mario Brothers of the Xbox, but I don’t see the excitement for the game like in the past.
You are right and you summed up everything pretty well. I believe CoD’s fall will either be because it kills itself by continuing to repeat itself and finally more people start to get bored of this old joke, or because it tries to change itself way too much and ends up not to be appealing to the same fanbase (which I doubt will happen, specially after the not so true announcement of the “new engine” for the new generation of consoles which just reinforces the idea that they will stick around like that for a good amount of years to come).
Most people who play CoD (and Madden) are like the people who play LOL on PC. They started playing because their friends also did and talked a lot about it, or because of the massive marketing. They don’t really play or have played anything else to have enough gaming knowledge to differ and/or judge the different games and genres on the market so they just keep buying the same thing every year. I bet none of these guys has ever even touched a different genre and yet they call themselves gamers. You can’t be or call yourself a cook if the only thing you can cook is frying an egg.
Yeah, exactly. A number of people throughout the internet also talk about how they only play CoD because their friends are playing. Some of them don’t even like the game. You can have friends and play different games, but I guess some feel that they HAVE to play what everyone else is. Peer pressure I guess.
Exactly, peer pressure also plays a big role in this