When EA Play took place earlier this year, EA hinted at their new Battlefield game, which will be released sometime next year. Battlefield V was released back in 2018, and definitely did not live up to the hype and expectations that Battlefield 1 brought to fans of the series. The Battlefield series has had huge hits, such as Battlefield 3 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2, as well as disappointing lows such as Battlefield V and Battlefield: Hardline. On the other hand, the Call of Duty series has kept their fans happy with their recent games, especially with the massive success of Call of Duty Modern Warfare. Its exceptional battle royale mode, Warzone, has also been a huge attraction for Call of Duty players.
Call of Duty will have much more momentum than Battlefield does going into 2021, mostly thanks to Warzone's surprising success (and Firestorm's failure). Call of Duty is at a peak of players and and success, but Black Ops Cold War will have to top the previous game if Activision wants to stay on top. Trailers and closed betas are making players excited for Black Ops Cold War, and EA has yet to do anything to revive the hype for a new Battlefield game. Will EA be able to bring back the age-old debate of Call of Duty vs Battlefield?
Battlefield may have a hard time keeping up because of Call of Duty's flexibility. Call of Duty: WW2 and Infinite Warfare are two different kinds of games, even though they're both under the Call of Duty series. Battlefield can only change their style a little, and has to keep to realistic combat. Players like Battlefield for its detail and realism, meaning if EA goes away from that, there is a chance it could be just another total failure of a game. Nonetheless, going for possibly a more futuristic style of gameplay or something the FPS community hasn't seen before could be what Battlefield needs to stay popular.
How Battlefield 6 Can Win Players Back
While Modern Warfare has been wildly successful, Battlefield V hit a slump. The game was underwhelming and did not release enough content to keep players hooked, and its battle royale, Firestorm, definitely did not live up to expectations. It's safe to say that Battlefield V put the series into a bad place, and it'll be interesting to see if the next Battlefield game can revive the series. DICE and EA may be able to make a comeback, even with the hyped release of Black Ops Cold War later this year.
One way Battlefield may be able to make a comeback is to improve their co-op and campaign modes. Last year, Battlefield V's co-op mode was a sad, rushed mode that felt underwhelming and not prepared for release. EA also needs to capture their player's attention with a campaign mode filled with action, but, most importantly, iconic characters. Call of Duty's campaigns are always iconic, with characters like Soap Mactavish and Captain Price that gamers always remember. Call of Duty's Special Ops mode is also a great example of a fun co-op mode.
If EA manages to impress gamers with the upcoming Battlefield game, and Call of Duty manages to keep its success with Black Ops Cold War, the debate of which FPS game to play could come back to light. Call of Duty will be challenged to keep coming up with more great ideas to keep their fans hooked. Firstly, though, Black Ops Cold War will release first sometime in November. Battlefield 6 doesn't have an exact release date yet, and won't be coming out until sometime next year, so they have some time to plan and adjust if need be.