Battlefield 6 can dethrone Call of Duty in two ways

After Activision and Treyarch announced that the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta would be extended by one day—one day closer to the launch of Battlefield 6—it became clear that Activision wants to engrave Black Ops 7 into our psyche before the launch of what would be the biggest threat to its dominance since Fortnite. I don’t fault Activision. That’s what they should do, especially since I (and others) have enjoyed this beta; and I say that as one who happily stepped off the Call of Duty train after the subpar Modern Warfare reimagining. It’s snappy, it’s not encumbered with unnecessary movement mechanics, and I like the maps (Imprint can go). But the plan to allow more time to enjoy the beta is backfiring because the more I play Black Ops 7, the more I see why Battlefield 6 poses the threat that it does.

Black Ops 7 has a playlist called Moshpit: a medley of different modes on different maps. It's a simple but effective way to create variety, but after reaching level 30, I feel like I've played it all. And I can tell that others feel the same way, because people are already laying out strategies and discovering meta loadouts—in a beta. There’s nothing else to do. They’re bored. By the time Black Ops 7 launches in November, we’re going to have half the game figured out.

In comparison to the Battlefield 6 beta, we weren't sure if it would have large maps. We figured out choppers were excellent, Supports were too strong, and snipers could use tweaking, but nothing felt final, and we certainly didn’t figure out a meta. Until the Battlefield 6 beta ended, we continued to discover things and play with destruction, and that was possible because every match of Battlefield 6 was rarely the same. With 32 players on one team and matches that lasted up to 45 minutes, it was difficult to play a mode like Conquest the same way every time. The difference with Battlefield 6 is that it's been touched by Vince Zampella himself, and now it feels as addictive as the Call of Duty he created, which lives on in its increasingly business-first approach. So, Battlefield is scratching two itches: a faster, twitchier feel and the variety that only Battlefield can deliver.

I'm also reminded of the one business decision Xbox actually got right. After the PS2 dominated the industry over the N64 and the new challenger, the Xbox, Microsoft felt confident in releasing the Xbox 360 a year ahead of the PS3. That gave the Xbox 360 market dominance for the entire generation, because it was a great console, and Sony was overconfident. And that happened despite the red ring debacle.

Similarly, Battlefield 6 can benefit from launching in October. It has the goodwill of players after an overwhelmingly positive beta, Call of Duty players are open to something new, and Activision is losing trust with its players. So if Battlefield 6’s hype is real, that gives it a month of momentum before Black Ops 7.

Obviously, the comparison isn’t perfect (a console costs more and is a longer investment, and the 360 had a year advantage, not a month), but the principle remains: having a great product and being first is an advantage. And judging by Twitch numbers, Battlefield 6 attracted over 800,000 viewers for its beta, while Call of Duty has reached around 400,000. Familiarity breeds contempt.