“BF6 has beaten Blops7″ was not something many expected to hear, yet here we are—and for good reason

And for a while, Call of Duty was the consistent victor of these bouts, regularly outselling Battlefield whenever the two franchises released during the same year. In terms of consistent market dominance and cultural presence, Call of Duty has been aided by a consistent annual release schedule, bringing fresh income to Activision each year and capitalizing on year-round games coverage, eSports media, holiday gaming booms, and the like. Battlefield‘s more modest release pace has made it relatively more niche than Call of Duty, feeling more like a traditional game franchise and less like a cultural institution. Call of Duty also got a massive shot in the arm courtesy of Microsoft’s Activision-Blizzard acquisition, which gave the already-mammoth series a bevy of new resources and further reach. But despite all this, Battlefield 6 has clearly “beaten” CoD in 2025, and the latter’s ostensible strengths—its annual release schedule and relationship with Microsoft—may have actually been partially responsible for this.