Battlefield 6 is out on all platforms in a little more than a week from the time of this writing. With the momentum built from its extremely popular open beta and the work the Battlefield Studios put in to develop this new entry into the shooter franchise with Battlefield Labs, for the first time in years, Battlefield will have a chance to really compete with Call of Duty.
Which is why it’s not a surprise that, with its latest trailer for Battlefield 6, EA decided to take a direct shot at Activision and Call of Duty. The live-action trailer begins with actor Zac Efron, professional basketball player Jimmy Butler, singer Morgan Wallen, and MMA fighter Paddy Pimblett walking along a war-torn New York City bridge, each kitted out based on different classes with Efron geared up for Assault, Butler for Engineer, Wallen for Support and Pimblett for Recon.
As Efron begins to talk, he and the rest of his crew are unceremoniously blown up. Following in their smoke is a squad of more appropriately-dressed looking soldiers, with one asking “Who was that?” followed by a quick, “Doesn’t matter, let’s move,” response.
The rest of the trailer plays out as a live-action stylized version of a match in Battlefield 6, with the focus back to the coming game, but the entire opening is what takes a shot at Call of Duty.
Little details like Pimblett’s weapon being painted in a custom skin with multiple decals on it, Butler’s charm dangling from his rocket launcher, and the inclusion of celebrities themselves are all shots at the modern state of Call of Duty.
The charm and weapon skin are obviously shots at Call of Duty’s monetization, though it’s not like EA and Battlefield have much of a leg to stand on there when you can customize your weapons in Battlefield just the same. What has more of a foundation is how each celebrity comes from a different part of entertainment and culture. It’s seemingly a shot at how Call of Duty includes celebrity cameos and skins that make Call of Duty look more like Fortnite with its mixing and matching collaborations.
Even the song that plays throughout the trailer, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, by Smashing Pumpkins, is a shot at Activision and Call of Duty, as the Smashing Pumpkins’ classic was previously used in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s marketing campaign.
There’s also the timing of the trailer’s release, which is just days ahead of Call of Duty Next, where the marketing campaign for Black Ops 7 will go into full gear leading up to its launch in November.
It’s a clear Battlefield vs. Call of Duty version of SEGA’s ‘does what Nintendon’t’ style marketing, with Battlefield framed as a serious and intense shooter, and Call of Duty as a cosmetic-driven, celebrity endorsement-fueled, and decidedly less-serious alternative.
At a time when Call of Duty is at what seems to be an inflection point for its ongoing identity crisis, and following the news of a Call of Duty movie in the works, the trailer hits all the right points for players, as you can clearly tell from a quick scroll through the comments on the trailer.
While the trailer is all fun and games, the reality of how strongly Battlefield 6 will be able to compete with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is more grim than EA would like. It would be a pretty big shock if Battlefield were able to outsell Call of Duty in any metric, really. Especially considering how much of a hold the series has over the fans who come back to it year after year.
Hopefully, at the very least, Battlefield 6 can prove to shooter fans that Call of Duty isn’t the only major war shooter in town, and that the series is really back this time.
