LogIn"Battlefield is having its comeback moment, but Call of Duty remains the default choice for the mass-market player."
Activision
Battlefield 6's release consumed many shooter lovers, and, despite some complaints, it accumulated Mostly Positive reviews on Steam. As usual, it has a massive competitor, the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and it looks like B6 has won the pre-order war, but is it really that simple?
According to Alinea Analytics (via GamesIndustry.biz), Black Ops 7 sold under 200,000 pre-order copies on Steam 18 days before launch, while Battlefield 6 had already sold almost a million during the same time frame.
However, Black Ops 7 might be much more popular when it comes out for several reasons. Call of Duty comes out every year, so players might not add it to their wishlists and buy it straight from the release.
"Like FIFA, it's difficult to measure the success of upcoming CoD releases based solely on wishlist data," said Vic Bassey from Video Game Insights (VGI). "A lot of factors come into play. However, what we do know is that players already embedded within a gaming ecosystem tend to buy the serialized release rather than adding it to a wishlist."
CoD also has a separate launcher on PC, so we don't know the whole data, and not all PC players will be buying the game via Steam. Bassey noted that Black Ops 7 will be available day one on PC Game Pass, which might also influence the pre-sales.
Moreover, VGI's data shows that the Call of Duty franchise has about twice as many followers as Battlefield 6 on Steam, at around 658,000.
VGI
VGI
Rhys Elliott from Alinea Analytics says that according to the firm's data, Battlefield 6 has sold 10 million copies across all platforms and seemingly won over the core PC audience. "But that momentum alone won't be enough to overturn Call of Duty's overall market dominance – this year, at least."
He added that while the Battlefield series has always "resonated most with PC players," Call of Duty remains a "multi-platform powerhouse with a sales base that extends far beyond Steam and the PC market."
Elliott believes that Battlefield 6 seems more successful because it's a step up from the disappointing Battlefield 2042, whereas Call of Duty Black Ops 7 is facing "a perception problem" as a result of series repetition and a focus on "Fortnite-esque cosmetics."
But players still buy CoD every year "out of habit and brand loyalty."
"Its casual player base dwarfs Battlefield's, and its integration with Warzone ensures that millions of players are constantly exposed to marketing, in-game promotions, and social tie-ins that convert attention into purchases."
He thinks that Black Ops 7 will still sell more copies overall.
"Battlefield is having its comeback moment, but Call of Duty remains the default choice for the mass-market player."
Battlefield Studios
But if Battlefield keeps launching exciting updates, like a battle royale mode and the UGC-focused Battlefield Portal, it might become a far more serious competition to CoD.
"If EA delivers on its roadmap cadence, keeps momentum through a crowded shooter season, and successfully rolls out battle royale that feels like Battlefield (not Apex Legends with tanks)," Elliott said, "[we could see] EA nurture Battlefield into some real competition for Call of Duty in the coming years."
Are you team CoD or Battlefield? Subscribe to our Newsletter, join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.