Every year people complain about Call of Duty, and every year they keep buying it

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

Every year people complain about Call of Duty, and every year they keep buying it

Historical data

In 2021, the last time new Call of Duty and Battlefield games were released in the same year, Call of Duty: Vanguard was the No. 1 best-selling game overall in the US, followed by 2020's entry, Black Ops Cold War, at No. 2. Battlefield 2042, meanwhile, ranked No. 5 overall in 2021 for US sales, meaning it was outsold not just by its main competitor that year, but also by 2020's Call of Duty game (along with Madden NFL 22 and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl). EA stated that Battlefield 2042 missed the mark critically and commercially, while Activision said Vanguard, too, failed to sell up to expectations.

Meanwhile, 2018's Battlefield V ranked No. 16 in the US, whereas Black Ops 4 that year landed at No. 2. For 2016, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare was No. 1 for the year in the US, with Battlefield 1 coming in second. Battlefield 6 has been called a spiritual successor to Battlefield 3 and 4, two fondly remembered games. When those games came out in 2011 and 2013, Call of Duty's latest releases were No. 1, with Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 ranking No. 4 for each year. A Battlefield game has never ranked higher than No. 2 on the US sales charts for a given year.

Come year's end, many will be watching with keen eyes how high Battlefield 6 can go on the charts, even if that won't tell a complete story.

But didn't someone say Battlefield 6 will "boot stomp" Black Ops 7?

Former Xbox executive Mike Ybarra, who now heads up the sports betting company Prize Picks, published a social media post recently in which he said, "Battlefield will boot stomp CoD this year." He said sentiment around Call of Duty has been trending down in recent years as Activision leans into the wacky licensed skins and other features fans don't universally enjoy.

A lot of commentary you may read online about Call of Duty is negative, but that also raises the question of how much stock one should place in online conversations when algorithms today incentivize stirring things up to drive engagement, and, in the case of X, direct payments go to people who post the most extreme takes. Despite the negative rhetoric, the numbers show that Call of Duty is still a juggernaut. And while online comments may not always lead to real changes, sometimes that can happen. After all, Activision just recently announced that it was cancelling the Carry Forward program for Black Ops 7, which means the oft-criticized wacky and outlandish Call of Duty skins from Black Ops 6 may not appear in Black Ops 7. Activision also said it's listening to fans who want Call of Duty to feel more grounded, and acknowledged their concerns that Call of Duty has "drifted" from its core.

In any event, Elliott had some words for Ybarra: "Chill out, son."

To be fair, Ybarra did not say Battlefield 6 would outsell Black Ops 7. As a 19-year Microsoft veteran who worked on development and publishing initiatives at Xbox, he is no doubt aware in some capacity of the sales volume of Call of Duty relative to Battlefield. His second point was that Battlefield 6 coming to market with fan-focused design choices could end up helping Activision make a better product with Call of Duty, due in part to increased competition in the marketplace, and that's something Call of Duty fans would surely like to see.

For Activision's part, Black Ops 7 associate creative director Miles Leslie was recently asked to comment on Battlefield 6's successful beta. He said he's played it and found it to be fun, but he is focused on his own product.

"We're fans of the FPS genre," he said. "We're fans of lots of games. Let's all have fun."

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