While Activision continues to see renewed success with the Call of Duty franchise, EA continues to lag behind. As the latest Black Ops Cold War and the ever-expanding Warzone carry the franchise's momentum into 2021, EA's Battlefield franchise finds itself in a troubling position for a return. Battlefield 5 left the shooter series, often seen as Call of Duty's rival, in a bad place by the time official support for the fifth game had ended last year. Granted the ending of developer support was to divert attention to the new Battlefield game coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X, which needs to make a serious comeback in order to reach the franchise's previous height.
Which is exactly why Battlefield 6 needs to get ahead of the curve in 2021, especially with a new Call of Duty game presumably on the way this year. While Modern Warfare did borrow several inspirations from Battlefield to implement in certain modes like Ground War, it wasn't quite the same experience. EA's flagship shooter still has a chance to recapture the magic and position of power the Battlefield franchise used to have for 2021. However, it's going to want to get ahead of Call of Duty, the first-person shooter franchise that holds tons of momentum in the genre currently. Battlefield could steal some of the spotlight away from Call of Duty, but it has to do it right.
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For one thing, EA will want to get ahead of Activision in the most literal sense. Typically, Call of Duty games are revealed in May and/or early summer months, but EA will want to unveil something from the next Battlefield game sooner than that. Especially considering how Battlefield 6, or whatever the next Battlefield game is named, was initially announced for PS5/Xbox Series X during an EA investors/earnings call a year ago. There hasn't been a single inkling of news about the game other than its existence since last January, potentially meaning it's been in development long enough for a gameplay reveal or even just a teaser.
Recent entries in the Battlefield franchise have had reveals in a similar timeframe as Call of Duty, but that hasn't always been the case. Battlefield 5 and Battlefield 1 were revealed in May of 2016 and 2018, respectively. However, Battlefield 4 was initially revealed back in March of 2013, while Battlefield 3 was initially revealed in April of 2011. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's reveal may have happened in August of 2020 instead of May this year, but it's hard not to point to the many rumors of a troubled development potentially causing a delayed reveal. EA will still want to reveal the next entry ahead of Call of Duty, in order to avoid being overshadowed for its comeback.
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There's also merit to the idea that both Battlefield and Call of Duty could potentially be very similar this year, so announcing Battlefield earlier could divert attention. Rumors surrounding the next game's development have hinted at the Battlefield series' return to a modern day setting. Considering the latest Call of Duty featured an 80s/Cold War setting by Treyarch, there's a high likelihood that this year's annual release is another Modern Warfare entry alongside 2019's reboot. That means two very similar modern combat shooters could potentially be releasing in the same year, so EA will want to get out in front of a potential Modern Warfare 2 to gain momentum.
Previously, the Call of Duty vs. Battlefield debate used to be a pretty consistent topic among fans, but not so much anymore. If EA makes a big splash with Battlefield 6's announcement, that argument could hypothetically return in a good way. Not only does EA have to contend with one of the most popular shooters in games, but some of the more unique aspects of Battlefield (bigger lobbies, larger maps, vehicles, etc.) have trickled into Call of Duty in the last year. Battlefield needs to emphasize what makes it different from Call of Duty to have any chance of making a comeback this year, and it certainly can given the pedigree of games like Battlefield 3.
Much of this depends on when Battlefield is initially announced. There's virtually no information on if and when a Battlefield 6 or new Battlefield game will be announced this year, despite being initially planned to release in EA's 2022's fiscal year, which means any time after March 31, 2021. Based on prior releases, the next entry will likely be a fall/winter release, but the reveal itself is a bit up in the air. Most would expect anywhere in the April/May 2021 range, but without a focal point like E3, marketing timelines for games are a bit more ambiguous now. However, one thing is clear: the next Battlefield is a serious mountain to climb if it's going to rival Call of Duty.
Battlefield 6 is in development.