Black Ops 6 free-trial proves that CoD is scared of Battlefield hype

Activision announced a free trial for Black Ops 6, coincidentally during the same week that Battlefield revealed one of the most promising announcements in recent years.

On February 3, EA announced a private playtest for the upcoming Battlefield title called Battlefield Labs. Within just two days of announcing the service, the reveal trailer already had 1.5 million views on YouTube and 2.3 million on Twitter.

In addition, the newly formed Battlefield Studios was forced to make some adjustments to improve the Battlefield Labs sign-up experience because so many players attempted to sign up.

Call of Duty clearly felt the heat from the long-standing rival and wasted no time responding with a multiplayer and Zombies free trial from February 6 through 10 to remind fans which first-person shooter game fans should focus their energy on.

Battlefield has long played second-fiddle to the CoD series, selling well enough to stick around but with missteps that have had massive repercussions. Between BFV and BF 2042 both failing to set the world on fire like BF1 did, the series hasn’t been a threat to CoD for a long time.

But, with the new Battlefield game looking to return to series roots and Black Ops 6 being a fairly weak entry in the franchise, Call of Duty’s devs are feeling the heat. They should be scared.

Why CoD should be scared of Battlefield

Electronic Arts

At the peak of XDefiant’s popularity in 2023, CoD players labeled Activision as ‘scared’ because Modern Warfare 2 added a free access weekend right in the middle of XDefiant’s open beta.

Ultimately, CoD had nothing to fear about a new title taking over because XDefiant is shutting down in June 2025, but a Battlefield re-emergence should scare Activision.

In 2021, EA had everything leaning in its favor. Anticipation was at an all-time high for the release of Battlefield 2042, while there wasn’t nearly as much excitement about CoD Vanguard.

For reference, the BF 2042 reveal trailer on YouTube had 1.2 million likes, while the Vanguard trailer only mustered 183,000.

CoD Vanguard launched on Nov 5, 2021, and achieved moderate success, but the game is remembered as one of the weakest installments in recent years.

BF 2042 had a chance to seize an opportunity to overtake a weakened rival with a release scheduled 14 days after CoD Vanguard, but instead suffered a disastrous launch that set the series back years.

Battlefield 2042’s lead developer left after a “blatantly unfinished” launch, players demanded refunds, and the sales did not “meet expectations” or even come close, as game-breaking flaws and disappointing content ruined what could have been a crucial turning point for the franchise.

EA

Four years after fumbling a perfect opportunity, Battlefield miraculously has a chance to take over again despite all of the missteps. Public sentiment is at an all-time low for CoD, as cheating and performance issues caused a staggering player count loss.

I believe that EA has learned its lesson from the previous disaster. Criterion, DICE, Ripple Effect, and Motive have all worked on Battlefield for years, and they combined to create one studio to create a title that returns to what made the franchise so successful in the first place.

On top of that, Battlefield Labs allows fans to provide feedback about gameplay before the final product is shipped. Players will be able to test maps, weapons, and classes before launch, which wasn’t the case for BF 2042.

EA has also already shown that there is no rush to release the upcoming title before it’s in a polished state. During an earnings call, EA said that the next Battlefield game will launch before April 1, 2026, but that date is subject to change based on competing titles, most likely referring to GTA 6.

If Activision doesn’t drastically improve BO6 and Warzone within the next few months, anticipation for Battlefield will only grow. We have all been fooled before by this trend, but Battlefield Studios has a chance to redeem itself and save the franchise if everything goes right.