There's no denying it: Battlefield 6 has proven to be a smash hit for publisher Electronic Arts (EA) and developer Battlefield Studios, and the FPS is still drawing in thousands upon thousands of players over a month after launch. At release, it blew up the Steam charts with nearly 750K concurrent players, sold a gargantuan 7 million copies in just three days, and scored highly on Metacritic with widespread positive reviews.
That copies sold metric, in particular — as well as the fact that Battlefield 6 held the #1 position on Steam's Top Sellers list for weeks — is indicative of the fact that the game has been a massive commercial success for EA, at least in its opening month. Indeed, 7 million sales in three days is a majorly impressive achievement, and I do not doubt that sales since then have continued to be strong.
Even so, I was surprised to see EA claim that Battlefield 6 is the "best-selling shooter game of the year" while advertising its Season 1 content on the game's homepage on Wednesday morning.
"Season 1 releases in 3 phases, each packed with thematic hardware, cutting-edge gadgets, new maps, and weapons of unprecedented power," reads the blurb you're greeted with when you visit the site. "There's never been a better time to jump into the best-selling shooter game of the year."
I don't doubt that it's true right now, but it's a bold declaration to make so soon after the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Treyarch and Raven Software's new FPS came out just under a week ago, after all, and Call of Duty is well known for being a juggernaut in the genre that consistently achieves chart-topping sales with its annual releases. It's a huge reason why Microsoft's acquisition of publisher Activision Blizzard cost nearly $69 billion.
Though Battlefield 6 has a lead, right now, it's not exactly hard to imagine a world in which Black Ops 7 catches up in the coming weeks and eventually surpasses the performance of EA's large-scale FPS. Call of Duty simply has a hold over the mainstream market that only a select few other franchises can claim to enjoy — and mainstream, well-known properties like it tend to sell incredibly well in the rapidly approaching holiday season.
Though Battlefield 6 has a lead, right now, it's not exactly hard to imagine a world in which Black Ops 7 catches up in the coming weeks. With that said, however, I actually wouldn't be surprised if Battlefield 6 manages to hold onto its crown, either.
With that said, however, I actually wouldn't be surprised if Battlefield 6 manages to hold onto its crown, either. It's a huge return to form for EA's shooter series after several disappointing releases (ahem, Battlefield 2042), complete with creative new class gadgets for reshaping the battlefield, incredibly advanced destruction physics, a wide variety of maps and modes, and a grounded military aesthetic that stands in contrast to the wackier, more fantastical visuals and cosmetics of today's Call of Duty.
Battlefield now also offers a free-to-play battle royale experience — Battlefield REDSEC — that directly competes with Call of Duty: Warzone. Previous attempts from EA to put out a successful battle royale have failed, but notably, REDSEC is performing well; using Battlefield 6's well-received mechanics to build it was a good move, as was removing the monetary barrier to entry that Battlefield V's and 2042's battle royales had.
Ultimately, it's hard to say which title will come out on top, in the end. Black Ops 7 sales are likely being curbed somewhat by what seems to be a growing fatigue for Call of Duty's yearly releases, as well as its availability on Xbox Game Pass. But it's also shaking things up with a (controversial) cooperatively focused campaign and a 32-player open world PvE mode Endgame, so it's not entirely just the same old, same old.
When Call of Duty gets fierce competition from Battlefield like this, everyone will end up winning, in the end.
What is clear, though, is that when Call of Duty gets fierce competition from Battlefield like this, everyone will end up winning, in the end. Having a true challenger for the first time in a long time will undoubtedly drive Call of Duty developers to deliver features and games that fans want, and Battlefield will do the same in kind.
Note that both Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 are available for $69.99 across Xbox, Windows PC, and PlayStation. The Xbox versions of both games are on sale for a few bucks off right now, with Battlefield 6 going for $65.99 at Loaded and Black Ops 7 selling for $63.39 at Loaded.
Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!
