Call of Duty Has No Real Threat Going Forward Unless Battlefield Makes a Fitting Comeback

If one has to pick the two most popular action-packed FPS franchises in the history of gaming, one need not look beyond Call of Duty and Battlefield. These two IPs have fascinated players across the globe for two decades now. However, their current state is something interesting to look at. While one is continuously thriving, the other seems to have died down with no big promise for the future.

Without a doubt, anyone can agree that Call of Duty, despite its recent shortcomings and some unexpected blunders, is still strong enough. In fact, it has proven time and again that it is a force to be reckoned with. The reason is that there’s no real competition that can create a major obstacle in its ongoing successful journey. Not even Battlefield is capable enough to pose a threat to Activision’s record-setting series. It wasn’t the case a few years ago though. So what exactly changed, giving CoD the title of the undisputed FPS king?

Why has Battlefield not been able to challenge Call of Duty at all?

For those unaware, EA and DICE’s Battlefield franchise actually has a slightly longer history compared to that of Activision. The first Battlefield title was released more than two decades ago in 2002. It was a game that really offered something fresh to the players in terms of letting them try out a military shooter. In fact, the series kept gaining popularity for a few more years.

2005’s Battlefield 2 was the first time when players witnessed modern warfare situations in a major AAA title. This was before Call of Duty’s 2007 installment (the original Modern Warfare) started its magic. However, times have changed quite drastically for EA’s franchise—especially in the last seven or eight years.

It’s no secret that Battlefield has struggled a lot in publishing amazing games lately. While Battlefield 3 and 4 are still considered by many to be the best FPS titles ever made, the installments that followed them have been disappointing for fans of this iconic saga. It all began in 2015 with Hardline. Although it received good reviews, fans were not interested and found it falling short of their expectations.

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The major setback came in 2018 when Battlefield saw a massive dip in its popularity. The version turned out to be incomplete at the time of its official release. Not to mention that fans literally slammed the overall elements that were present in this game. Lastly, Battlefield 2042, which was published in 2021, was the final nail in the coffin. It was nothing less than a disaster for EA and the team of DICE. In fact, its release was so nightmarish that the company ended up blaming titles like Halo Infinite, an Xbox exclusive, for their own mess. But the damage was already done, making the loyal franchise lovers disillusioned.

Currently, the makers are trying to fix the state of BF 2042 with effective updates. But the series isn’t as popular as it once was and that’s a bitter fact to digest. On the other hand, Call of Duty has now got no real competition whatsoever. Despite all the odds, it has succeeded in staying on the top when it comes to the biggest AAA FPS shooters in the world. Although recent entries like Vanguard didn’t meet expectations, but Activision quickly regained the lost ground with 2022’s blockbuster in Modern Warfare II and its extension in the form of Warzone 2 Battle Royale.

On top of it, it was revealed recently that MWII was the best-selling video game of last year. This is a testament to the current dominance of Call of Duty, and it seems that it will continue to be indomitable unless it faces a real threat. Could this threat come in the form of the new Battlefield installment? Although it seems unlikely at present, time may prove otherwise.

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