Despite comments suggesting that Battlefield 6 will ‘boot stomp’ Call of Duty this year, many believe the impending conflict between Black Ops 7 and EA’s new Battlefield title has already been decided. In a recent report published as part of the Alinea Analytics newsletter, it was suggested that Black Ops 7 will outsell Battlefield because of consumer habits and nothing more.
The report spoke of ‘autopilot purchasing’, with Call of Duty fans buying the new release year in, year out, even if they’re displeased with the offering. That’s why Battlefield 6 won’t ‘win’ this year.
Can Battlefield 6 Beat Call of Duty?
The recent Alinea Insight newsletter discussed whether Battlefield 6 could stand firm as a ‘COD killer’, a term that has been lobbied a lot in recent years. Once upon a time, XDefiant was poised as a COD killer, and we all know how that went…
Alinea’s expert analysts pulled a number out of the hat, revealing that 60% of beta-based wishlisters of Battlefield 6 have played a Call of Duty game on Steam, which is a damning enough number right out the gate. The team admitted that Battlefield 6 could do better than any other game in franchise history, but it still won’t be enough to topple Black Ops 7.
Rhys Elliott of Alinea put it perfectly in the report:
COD is still dominant despite all this. Its core audience still loves the game and buys it every damn year. And that isn’t going to change just because Battlefield 6 is rad and tracking incredibly well.
For many gamers, Call of Duty is an annual ritual. Tens of millions of players, many of them casual gamers, buy the newest CoD every year without hesitation. This “autopilot purchasing” habit is decades deep, and breaking it requires more than one awesome Battlefield release.
Elliott went on to explain ‘that players will buy it even if they complain about it.’ It also doesn’t help Battlefield’s situation that Black Ops 7 is guaranteed to be a day-one title on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. When Black Ops 6 was released on Game Pass last year, it was the single biggest day for new subscriptions on the platform.
I’m of the standpoint that Battlefield 6 doesn’t need to beat Black Ops 7. I’m more than comfortable with both games existing alongside each other, and even Battlefield’s developers stressed the same thing. They serve unique demographics in a few ways, and I’ll play both and make my mind up later as to which I prefer.
Are you more excited about Battlefield 6 or Black Ops 7? Let me know on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Atari has claimed five Ubisoft IPs
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
CoD fanboys will buy a turd if you stamp Call of Duty on it. The question is, will they play it to the extent that Battlefield games get played? It’s quality over quantity.