ModernWarfare3 directs to Battlefield 3 News • News • PC • Eurogamer.net

News PC Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 Battlefield 3

But who is the website trickster?

The website www.ModernWarfare3.com redirects visitors to the official Battlefield 3 website, www.battlefield.com.

Who is responsible? An anonymous owner who registered www.ModernWarfare3.com with Domains by Proxy - a US service that keeps buyers private.

Before ModernWarfare3.com pointed elsewhere, the site contained an anti-Call of Duty video and defamatory text claiming Battlefield 3 would be the superior game, according to Kotaku.

Is such a tactic beyond EA's aggressive marketing campaign? Could this simply be the work of an irate fan with enough money to clinch a high profile URL from underneath Activision's nose?

Activision doesn't own website ModernWarfare.com or ModernWarfare4.com. And it's highly unlikely Activision owns ModerWarfare3.com - unless this is some twisted/ingenious marketing ploy.

What ModernWarfare3 should be showing you.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

Comments (40) Latest comment 11 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

Order
- Oldest
- Newest
- Best
- Worst
Score
- -25
- -10
- -1
- 0
- +1
- +10
- +25

geeza2020 #1 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
sad

edit - I guess I'm the only person then that thinks someone forking out all that money for a domain name, just to piss off fans of a rival video game is a bit a waste of money and time and thus - a little sad?

Edited by geeza2020 at 12/07/11 @ 12:59
- Log in Create an account
- -5 - +
Ranger101 #2 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Whoever he/they are, they can expect to lose the domain due to Merika's anti-cyber squatting rules on trademarked names.
- Log in Create an account
- -5 - +
TheEarlOfZinger #3 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
funny imo
- Log in Create an account
- +34 - +
coolbritannia #4 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
News International strike again.
- Log in Create an account
- +17 - +
Jargon #5 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
@Ranger It's not being squat on, it's technically in use, but for BF3
- Log in Create an account
- +3 - +
BadBoyBonner #6 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Seems Eurogamer are most likley to be behind this.

Every freaking video I click on redirects me to Battlefield 3!!

Edited by BadBoyBonner at 12/07/11 @ 10:16
- Log in Create an account
- +89 - +
makariel #7 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
"What ModernWarfare3 should be showing you"

I find it funny that clicking on the video started the Battlefield 3 commercial
- Log in Create an account
- +53 - +
customfirmware #8 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Interesting.
- Log in Create an account
- -4 - +
spongebob #9 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Maybe some prankster registered the domain and thought Activision would pay through the nose to get it.
- Log in Create an account
- +8 - +
Subdominator #10 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
"Whoever he/they are, they can expect to lose the domain due to Merika's anti-cyber squatting rules on trademarked names."

No, they can't.
- Log in Create an account
- +6 - +
CaptainQuint #11 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Crucially, the website only runs at 30fps on console browsers.
- Log in Create an account
- +22 - +
BloodSaint #12 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
EA wouldnt sink that low.. They are a respectable publisher after all, sure they might talk some trash and stuff but they wouldnt go as far as that...
- Log in Create an account
- 0 - +
LazyNinjaUk #13 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
No doubt Craptivision will turn this into another lawsuit against EA even if they have nothing to do with it.
- Log in Create an account
- +1 - +
bu5hhead #14 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I just dropped one and it reeks, Just thought maybe I would share some more interesting news
- Log in Create an account
- +3 - +
Sodding_Gamer #15 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Gotta say, this is pretty funny. Does sound like some guy wanting a wod of cash off Activision by doing this though. Clever twat.
- Log in Create an account
- 0 - +
King_Edward #16 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
EA totally would do it. Does nobody remember Duty Calls? Or the cringe worthy Dante's Inferno campaign?
- Log in Create an account
- +3 - +
coolbritannia #17 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
No reputable company would stoop so low as to represent a corporate site as a piece of shitty fandom.

alliwantforxmasismypsp. oh.
- Log in Create an account
- +1 - +
billy323 #18 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I know thats early footage, but the amount of screen tear on that vid is awfull. They obviously haven't got it running at 60 fps yet.
- Log in Create an account
- -1 - +
Tyrhinis #19 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
"[...] And it's highly unlikely Activision owns ModerWarfare3.com [...]"

Unless they're looking out for typos.
- Log in Create an account
- +10 - +
konniehuqfan #20 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I doubt this is EA's doing, probably the work of an overly passionate fan.
- Log in Create an account
- 0 - +
butler` #21 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
@Subdominator

I'm pretty sure they can:

- It was done in bad faith.
- It's a distinctive trademarked term.
- It's based out of America where there's laws against it.
- Cases like this are biased towards big corps like, i don't know, Activision.
- Log in Create an account
- 0 - +
arcam #22 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
They could certainly try, but they'd be unlikely to win IMO.

Doesn't look like they ever fought this one: http://www.modernwarfare.com/, even though they like the address as http://www.modernwarfare2.com/ shows.
- Log in Create an account
- -1 - +
arcam #23 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
OK, I just tried modernwarfare3.co.uk.

"Twisted/ingenious marketing ploy" now looking increasingly unlikely...
- Log in Create an account
- 0 - +
Lunatic4ever #24 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
now thats some nasty ass move
- Log in Create an account
- -3 - +
des #25 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
lol
- Log in Create an account
- 0 - +
cawley1 #26 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Rather than bother with this toss, if they were really clever they would have registered

'The Sun on Sunday', 'Sunday Sun'...

Then they would likey have been quids in as these were only registered by 'someone' in the last four weeks!
- Log in Create an account
- +1 - +
blackbriar101 #27 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
I hate when that happens. I remember researching a law essay and clicking on barelylegal.com. Then out of nowhere I forgot how to close webpages, it took me 3 hours, I felt like such a fool, damn you Internet.
- Log in Create an account
- +4 - +
username84 #28 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
@geeza2020

Couldn't agree more.
- Log in Create an account
- +1 - +
Feanor #29 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
This text was in no way "defamatory". That word should not be used in a Eurogamer news article as a synonym for critical.

Modern Warfare is crap. On November 8, 2011, the most over-hyped first-person action series of all-time returns with the copy and paste sequel to the lackluster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Check out the E3 2011 gameplay demo featuring the Black Tuesday level for a look at the epic fail of the campaign. Pre-Order Call of Duty MW3 Today for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC to secure exclusive bonuses only available online for Modern Warfare 3 fanboys who don't know that Battlefield 3 is the better game.
- Log in Create an account
- +1 - +
TheEarlOfZinger #30 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Of course it's sad - doesn't stop it being funny (for exactly that reason.)

Humourless much?
- Log in Create an account
- +2 - +
Sodding_Gamer #31 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
You know what else is funny? The Zavvi link takes you to buy Battlefield 3 too!!
- Log in Create an account
- 0 - +
layleeloo #32 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Ah well, at least it was directing them to the better game
- Log in Create an account
- +2 - +
cheeky_BILLY #33 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Love it.
- Log in Create an account
- +1 - +
azix2 #34 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
Why would this cost a lot? It probably cost the same as any other domain name.
- Log in Create an account
- +2 - +
danidrums #35 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
@bu5hhead: Best comment, ever!
- Log in Create an account
- -3 - +
geeza2020 #36 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
TheEarlOfZinger - I'm not humourless, I must just have a very different opinion to you as to what equates to "humour". This isnt funny, its pathetic IMO. Each to their own though.
- Log in Create an account
- 0 - +
Subdominator #37 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
@butler: The domain was bought in March 2009. That's way before Modern Warfare 3 was ever announced so it would be hard for Activision to get the domain now. You can't just create trademarks and then decide you want the domains for it. If somebody got those before you filed a trademark then it's your loss. There is a reason why the domain is still not owned by Activision after more than two years: They can't get it. Or they don't care. In any case the registrant has nothing to fear.

Additionally "Modern Warfare" is only a subtitle. And it's a trademark that is also a common term in language. That makes it even harder to actually make any claims. Add to that that the trademark might not even belong to Activision because of the ongoing trial of Respawn vs. Activision over who owns "Modern Warfare".
- Log in Create an account
- +1 - +
rob230 #38 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
In other news, a poor sad lonley little man has been found sniggering into his RSS feed this morning
- Log in Create an account
- +1 - +
nooneyouknow #39 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
The domain was bought in March 2009.

that's pretty smart then, as MW2 had only just been announced. Whatever the reason, it is kinda funny
- Log in Create an account
- +1 - +
Feanor #40 11 months ago

Comment below viewing threshold Show
So a website calling Modern Warfare "crap" is defamatory according to Eurogamer.

That must mean they think their own review of Duke Nukem Forever is defamatory, since it said the game was a "gruesomely mangled resurrection".

I would say both are fair comment opinions.
- Log in Create an account
- +2 - +