The former president of Blizzard believes that Call of Duty faces a severe defeat against Battlefield 6 this year, as the shooter giant has become lazy.
Who is that?
- Mike Ybarra is the former president of Blizzard. He switched from Microsoft to the company in 2019.
- During his time at Blizzard, he was particularly appreciated for his closeness to the community through social media – but also criticized. He repeatedly shares his thoughts on industry issues and sometimes puts his foot in his mouth, for instance, when he referred to a Marvel heroine over 50 years old as an Overwatch clone.
- In January 2024, Mike Ybarra left Blizzard. His departure followed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. At the same time, Microsoft laid off around 1,900 employees in the gaming sector, including Activision-Blizzard, Xbox, and ZeniMax.
This year’s Call of Duty will be Black Ops 6. We saw a first trailer at the Xbox Showcase during the Summer Game Fest.
Ex-president of Blizzard knows what Call of Duty needs to improve
What exactly does Ybarra say about Call of Duty? Ybarra made clear statements about the current situation of Call of Duty on X. He is sure that the shooter from Activision-Blizzard will suffer a severe defeat this year:
“Battlefield will stomp CoD into the ground this year. But the real gain is that CoD will not be lazy anymore, and as a result, we will all get better first-person shooters.”
Electronic Arts is currently inviting players to test Battlefield 6. Players have the opportunity to take a first look at the shooter during the ongoing Open Beta – and, despite some criticism, it has been very well received so far.
Furthermore, Ybarra is confident that Call of Duty has been steadily declining over the past years and that Battlefield will now force the shooter to change.
What reasons does Ybarra mention? Ybarra further addresses the topic in the comments and lists a few reasons that have maneuvered Call of Duty into a steadily worsening situation over the years, including:
- the major cheating problem
- colorful rainbow colors – he likely means the absurd skins of Call of Duty
- a slow UI and large installation size
All three are topics that continue to boil up within the community and are heavily discussed.
How likely is the severe defeat of CoD? Not very likely. Especially because Call of Duty and Battlefield differ significantly in gameplay. Players who prefer fast, action-packed gameplay at close range will likely continue to favor Call of Duty.
Overall, Call of Duty has had significantly better sales figures in the past. Activision also believes that they do not need to worry about Battlefield (via Insider Gaming). Call of Duty cannot fail; the franchise is too big.
More exciting than the comparison between Battlefield 6 and the upcoming Black Ops 7 might be the look at Call of Duty: Warzone. Battlefield is trying once again to enter the battle royale genre after years of absence: Will Battlefield 6 get a Battle Royale? What is known about the return of Firestorm?
