Battlefield 6andCall of Duty2021 are already shaping up to have an interesting competition, with fans needing to decide which first-person shooter they want to sink their time into later this year. Withtwo vastly different strategiesrumored for the two games, as well as completely opposite settings, it will be interesting to see which game comes out on top. However, this is hardly the first time the two franchises have faced off, as theBattlefieldandCall of Dutycompetition has been going on for years.
Battlefield 6andCall of Duty2021 will be reigniting a rivalry that properly began back in 2008, and it will be intriguing to see how much the two acknowledge this history with marketing. WhileBattlefieldandCall of Dutyhave traveled through time, both have maintained each franchise’s core gameplay values throughout. The backbone ofBattlefieldis massive multiplayer warzones with vehicles, destruction, and infantry. ForCall of Duty, 6v6 arcade action has been its bread and butter, alongside cinematic campaigns and some co-op offerings. Both are massively popular military FPS games, however, ensuring that they will always be compared with one another.
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2002-2007: Minor Skirmishes Between Battlefield and Call of Duty
In the early years ofBattlefieldandCall of Duty, there was not much competition to be seen, with each series trying to forge its own path to success.Battlefield: 1942, the first Battlefield game, launched in 2002.Call of Duty’s first release came a year later, with a similarWorld War 2focus. In 2005,Battlefield 2made the jump to the modern era, withCall of Dutyfollowing via 2007’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfare. With both games being major successes, and the two brands seemingly unable to escape the others’ shadow, the unspokencompetition betweenBattlefieldandCall of Dutyhad quietly begun.
The fan favoriteBattlefield:Bad Companysaw the competition become more pronounced, asseries developer DICEattempted to win console gamers over with a differentBattlefieldexperience. With players also growing connected to the campaign’s cast of misfits, this mission became a success, asBattlefieldwas now on people’s radars.
ForCall of Duty, 2008 brought Treyarch’sCall of Duty: World at Warto players. Featuring a return to World War 2, the game’s gore and dark campaign made it vastly different fromCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. While it did not receive as much critical acclaim, it has become a cult classic with fans, and its introduction ofCall of DutyZombies remains important.
2009: Battlefield: 1943 vs. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
A year later, there was a bit of a role reversal betweenBattlefieldandCall of Duty.ForBattlefield, a return to World War 2 led to one of the series’ biggest successes, as a lack of campaign led to a deeper focus on multiplayer. While there were only a few maps and modes, each was considered masterful, with fans loving this follow-up to the originalBattlefield.
In the case ofCall of Duty, 2009’sModern Warfare 2follow-up proved that lightning can strike twice. A fan favorite campaign delivered a huge twist, while a solid Spec Ops mode offered addictive co-op. The multiplayer mode remains a fan favorite, with many asking forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Remasteredto this day.
In 2010,Battlefield: Bad Company 2released, improving on the original in every way. Stronger multiplayer with minimal-but-meaningful destruction was included, with the game mode Rush becoming a massive hit with console players. The campaign was also entertaining, and it fired direct shots atCall of Duty— with Sweetwater specifically making fun ofModern Warfare’s heartbeat sensors.
As forCall of Duty, Modern Warfare 2has made the series into a phenomenon, withCall of Duty: Black Opsbuilding on this in many ways. An excellent lineup of multiplayer maps with party games kept fans engaged, while the campaign was even more compelling and unique than its predecessors.Zombies was treated as a proper pillaras well, with the mode truly taking off through this game.
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2011: Battlefield 3 vs. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
In 2011, the most popularBattlefieldgame released, and it proved to be such a success thatBattlefield 6will supposedly be inspired by it.Battlefield 3not only featured more impressive visuals and destruction, but top-tier map design helped it reach new heights. An equal focus on Conquest and Rush pleased PC and console fans, while themed DLC expansions kept things fresh.
As forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the game suffered from the departure of half the Infinity Ward team, as disagreements with Activision caused them to leave and form Respawn Entertainment. While developer Sledgehammer Games assisted the remaining Infinity Ward team, the result was a serviceable game that lacked the wow factor of the otherModern Warfaretitles. While not bad by any means, this was the year whereBattlefieldbecame a genuine threat.
2013: Battlefield 4 vs. Call of Duty: Ghosts
2013 was a rocky road for both franchises, asBattlefieldandCall of Dutystruggled with the concept of a cross-gen launch. ForBattlefield 4, this led to some awful netcode and poor stability, with the game suffering until the midway point in its life cycle. While it had good concepts like “Levelution” and some decent maps, its issues held it down greatly.
As for its competitor,Call of Duty: Ghostsremains divisive. The multiplayer was criticized for its overly large maps, as well as a messy field orders system. The campaign’s poor voice acting and grey color pallet made it forgettable, though its cliffhanger ending does leave some fans wondering whataCall of Duty: Ghostssequelwould look like. Its co-op mode was in a similar place, as some fans loved Extinction while others ignored it entirely. Neither game was truly bad, but both had problems that kept them from reaching the heights of past entries.
2015: Battlefield: Hardline vs. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
The most experimental year forCall of DutyandBattlefieldled to even more controversy, as both games were divisive. In the case ofBattlefield,Battlefield: Hardlinesaw the concept of cops and robbers getting its own game, with the result being an interesting-but-unpolished affair. Made by Visceral Games as opposed to DICE, the lack of experience was clear, though there were some fun modes and maps.
Call of Dutycontinued with the progressively unpopular futuristic settings started byCall of Duty: Advanced Warfare, thoughCall of Duty: Black Ops 3was arguably the most crowd-pleasing attempt at the setting. Featuring a fun multiplayer due to decent map design and an engaging specialist system, supply drops were one of the few issues fans had. The campaign ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 3remains misunderstood, though it was disliked by most fans. However, the game is still noteworthy for its Zombies mode, which most consider the peak of the series due to an excellent DLC run and the Zombies Chronicles remakes.
2016: Battlefield 1 vs. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Another year whereBattlefieldcould be seen getting an edge in the competition,Battlefield 1’s World War 1 focus worked surprisingly well. While destruction and weaponry were more limited, the use of horses and Zeppelins as vehicles was a nice change of pace. The Operations mode proved a success with multiplayer fans, whilethe War Stories campaignserved as a great way to honor the veterans of The Great War.
As forCall of Duty: Infinite Warfare, the decision to go further into the future angered fans. While the campaign is underrated, as it features some good writing and cool side missions, the Zombies mode and multiplayer component feel likeCall of Duty: Black Ops 3with much less personality. However, the inclusion ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare Remasteredhelped keepCall of Dutyafloat.
2018: Battlefield 5 vs. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
The most recent example of this storied rivalry sawCall of Dutyon top once again, so much so thatBattlefieldhas taken some extra time to rebuild itself.Battlefield 5got off on the wrong foot, with the game’s Grand Operations mode showed that bigger is not always better. Unbalanced with a lack of memorable maps, the game’s biggest letdown was its Firestorm battle royale. Despite coming after launch, it lacked the strengths of other modes in the genre, serving as a nail in the coffin for the game.
WhileCall of Duty: Black Ops 4has its issues, such as controversy from the lack of a campaign and a buggy Zombies mode at launch, it was a better game overall. Once Zombies recovered, it was a lot of fun, and multiplayer was decent enough. The star of the show was undoubtedlythe Blackout mode, though, asCall of Duty’s first attempt at a battle royale was far more successful thanBattlefield’s. WithCall of Dutycoming out on top in 2018 because of battle royale, it will be interesting to see if history repeats itself later this year.
Battlefield 6andCall of Duty2021 are in development.
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