EA: BF will outsell COD - eventually

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 19 August, 2011

"We did it with FIFA and PES."

Battlefield will eventually outsell Call of Duty, EA reckons.

It'll take "a few iterations," but it'll happen, EA's European boss Jens Uwe Intat told Eurogamer.

"In any year I would want to see that happen, yes," he said. "It's possible. If we as a company put all of our effort into winning market share in a place we can do that."

This year Battlefield 3 goes head-to-head with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. While analysts predict Battlefield 3 will prove a huge success (one expects it to shift 11 million copies), Modern Warfare 3 is expected to outsell it - and break video game sales records set by last year's 20 million-selling Black Ops.

Uwe Intat said EA had demonstrated how to overtake a market leader in the past, pointing to FIFA's current dominance over PES.

"We've shown that in the football space with FIFA. We were behind. We rewrote the engine. We came back with a superior game. It took us a few years, but now we are the clear market share leader in that space, and we want to do it again.

"It takes a few iterations, but it's doable."

As for this year, EA hopes to reduce Activision's share of the first-person shooter space by a considerable amount.

"This is obviously top priority for us," Uwe Intat said. "Battlefield this year is a critical priority of what we're doing. We are also very ambitious, and we obviously have a clear competitor out there, who in the past for quite some time has dominated that space.

"What we've embarked on is to take market share away from Activision, big time. The way we're doing this is focusing on, front and centre, the game and the consumer experience. It's not that we just want to have a marketing battle. We want to have the better game.

"We have this wonderful team in Sweden that has been working on a new engine, Frostbite 2, and what we now have is the better game. We're very proud of DICE.

"Rome was not built in a day. We're not going to take over that place in one go. But, if you say Activision last year had 90 per cent of the shooter space, we definitely want them to go down to 70, maybe 60 per cent this year. That is what we are aiming for."

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (61) Latest comment 9 months ago

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

  • the_sas_man #1 9 months ago

    This is becoming tiresome

  • mcmonkeyplc #2 9 months ago

    Stop talking about it and do it then.

  • GamesConnoisseur #3 9 months ago

    This is actually fun in a way, you know FIGHT! then see the two giants going at each other and taking out pounds of fleshs.

    Meantime we as consumers can just enjoy their games, whether both or just either one, it's our business and we can make our own mind up if either is enough on it's own.

    If you are bored with this topic, then just don't damn press the link to the articles! You don't have to feed the hits to the articles!

  • Xardan #4 9 months ago

    Dont care, its all the same to me.

  • Architect_z #5 9 months ago

    I don't know if this is true, but i'd consider BF to be the underdogs in this battle of the first person shooters. But if they eventually become bigger than COD, then eventually modern warfare 'x' (whatever number it'll be by the time BF takes over) will then be the alternative and eventually become cool?

    It's the fashion of any competeing market products.

  • Totza #6 9 months ago

    just shut up about cod and focus on your own game.. bored of this cod shite now

  • Totza #7 9 months ago

    just shut up about cod and focus on your own game.. bored of this cod shite now

  • mumblyjoe #8 9 months ago

    The only person that can settle this is Harry Hill!
    Edited by mumblyjoe at 19/08/11 @ 16:57

  • Oldest_Ancient #9 9 months ago

    I suppose they should know better than me, but as far as I was aware PES was always outsold by FIFA. Even when it was clearly the better game.

  • HyperTails #10 9 months ago

    Who the fuck cares?

  • monsieur_qwerty #11 9 months ago

    I miss shooting Nazis.................

  • FogHeart #12 9 months ago

    "We've shown that in the football space with FIFA"

    The football space? There's an entire alternative universe based on football??!! How do we get there? Does it involve string theory? Should we build a net then?

  • Mister-Wario #13 9 months ago

    I just want the damn games to come out so this rivalry can be put to rest. And I'm not even planning on buying either.

  • peppergomez #14 9 months ago

    Stop being so mean, EA, you're killing the industry! (shakes head and laughs)
    Edited by peppergomez at 19/08/11 @ 17:27

  • spiritsnake #15 9 months ago

    wheres the article??? im seeing a blank page

  • skowhegan Verified Staff Writer, Eurogamer Network #16 9 months ago

    @spiritsnake Sorry about that, we had some technical issues, should be all fixed now!

  • kingbelly #17 9 months ago

    At least this is vaguely sensible business speak instead of some of the bullshit the chest beating marketing men at EA have been coming out with. But it's not exactly a riveting read.

  • Spekingur #18 9 months ago

    You won't unless you put it on Steam. BFBC2 is still getting sales on Steam because it is not taken off the shelves like in a brick and mortar stores. It is still selling because gamers use Steam for other games. It is still selling because Steam has good sales.

    If you don't have your game basically everywhere it won't sell as well as it could have.

  • CaptainQuint #19 9 months ago

    EA: "BLAH BLAH BLAH COD BLAH BLAH COD BLAH BLAH COD BLAH BLAH..."

    STFU you sad bastards. Inferiority complex, much?

  • Drygore #20 9 months ago

    Proud Swede here!

  • Zyklonbzombie #21 9 months ago

    By virtue of being the "alternative" to CoD's inescapable marketing/media presence, Battlefield has a lot of new potential customers. Unfortunately EA seem determined to totally alienate them by being as loud and obnoxious about their game as possible.

    There's nothing to stop people buying Battlefield AND CoD, but this constant slagging is just likely to make established CoD fans feel defensive and resentful and less likely to actually do so.

  • miiiguel #22 9 months ago

    This guys are obsessed with CoD. It's actually funny and I couldn't care less about either games.

  • Vyggo #23 9 months ago

    I think COD will always have more mass-market appeal, just because it's more action-ey and less tactical.

  • uknortherner2000 #24 9 months ago

    You know, it's like watching a couple of children having a pillow fight. Except it's two grown men, and the pillows are stuffed with $100 bills.

  • Dannyboy1100 #25 9 months ago

    Did it with fifa through monoplizing sport games...

  • jablonski #26 9 months ago

    I like Sundays because it means there are no COD stories posted

  • ajaxpliskin #27 9 months ago

    Wow, EA is so lame. I can imagine their boardroom meetings, wanking each other off whilst slandering Call of Duty. I have to say the full title because I'm so sick of repeatedly hearing the abbreviation coming out of their mouths.

  • Gastrian #28 9 months ago

    Post deleted at 17:56:43 13-04-2012

  • Sir_STRESSHEaD #29 9 months ago

    This schoolyard mentality going on here is so Lame! All this hot air from both sides doesn't make a scrap of difference to my choice. Personally I'm getting both games as military shooters are why I game... but I know that most gamers are smart enough to make their choices via the final product and not hype.

  • Pumpatron #30 9 months ago

    "Wouldn't a FPS fan just buy both? Seeing as there both going to be good. I know I will be"

    Nope, I'm an FPS fan and I won't be getting either - multiplayer isn't particularly important to me and I don't expect either game's single player to be very good.

  • Nephirion #31 9 months ago

    Will pick both up when they are much cheaper ...

  • Feanor #32 9 months ago

    PES isn't a good comparison. Konami don't have one tenth of the resources Activision has.

  • night735 #33 9 months ago

    Leave cod to the kids and bf to the mature. Both have a place in the market. Who cares who sells more. They are different games.

  • arcam #34 9 months ago

    its clearly a response, they are being asked about BF3 vs CoD and won't stop saying it until people stop asking and people won't stop asking until people stop clicking

    QFT

  • Bravestinsane #35 9 months ago

    depends if act full their finger out and make a new engine or not, ill decide what i buy in 2-3 years time not now, and not by the shit other people come out with.

    This year, it will be BF3 and not COD however, yes i could buy both but i would rather have my money spent on other games instead.

    11/60

  • Pumpatron #36 9 months ago

    @beIIy

    I'll be buying Deus Ex HR (not strictly an FPS but hey), Rage and Halo Anniversary. I'm not completely ruling out getting BF3 at some point, but it would be next year after a price drop.

  • des #37 9 months ago

    EA lol

  • TFM_Excalibur #38 9 months ago

    No it wont

  • CamberGreber #39 9 months ago

    Why is everyone so Upset about this Bickering?

    This type of Competion is Great for the industry it is what keeps prices reasonable and is what drives companies to do better with each iteration.

    Do you really think COD MW3 would have any form of destructable enviroments if it werent for the threat of Battlefield 3.
    They would not.

  • H_D_Swagger #40 9 months ago

    Could someone please explain why COD sales are referred to as record breaking whenever they're mentioned? Obviously they're huge but if you go to vgchartz they list a bunch of other games as having sold more (although some were console pack-ins). Is it just for xbox/ps3?

  • Alf-Life #41 9 months ago

    Annoying that they muscled PES out by buying out licenses and churning out crap until after many years they finally essentially copied PES' gameplay model.

  • dfooster #42 9 months ago

    It would be hilarious if ghost recon turned out to be the best shooter of them all. In fact I think I always preferred the GR style of gameplay. Less arcadey and more tactical suits my tastes better and is actually more realistic IMO

  • Alivada #43 9 months ago

    They will both end up milking their game into non existance. It may take another 5 years, but eventually people get bored of the same crap from both these customers.

    I'll still be buying MW3 though, ergh...

  • RedSparrows #44 9 months ago

    I'm bored of the same red dot m16 crap already.

  • JadedSoul #45 9 months ago

    Post deleted at 08:10:55 26-04-2012

  • loksfox #46 9 months ago

    you can outsell cod with bf3...JUST LET US HAVE IT ON STEAM!

  • tankboi #47 9 months ago

    I feel sorry for DICE. EA is acting like a pushy dad with loud mouth.

  • Brownie-UK #48 9 months ago

    I don't want bf3 to outsell cod! They are two very different games and trying to cater for the cod market may be a huge mistake from dices side. Big market place anyway.

    I'll be getting cod for campaign and bf3 for greatest mp experience out there.

    I am alao sick of the rhetoric but I still read each damned article!

  • frazzl #49 9 months ago

    I'd still take PES over FIFA EA ;).

  • Bilstar #50 9 months ago

    Theres gonna be some good DLC deals on BF3.
    Competition is good.

  • SEVQA #51 9 months ago

    "It'll take "a few iterations," but it'll happen, EA's European boss Jens Uwe Intat told" his boss the same bullshit to justify his overblown wage and to ensure he has a job for the next ten years no matter what!
    Edited by SEVQA at 20/08/11 @ 21:26

  • prettyboytim #52 9 months ago

    Rather than trying to take over the market, it'd be better seeing them trying to expand the market.

  • gumblecosby #53 9 months ago

    Selective memory there about FIFA and pes. FIFA always outsold ISS .

  • ISmoke #54 9 months ago

    Even EA are advertising CoD alot.
    It really must be good otherwise I'd know more about Battlefield

  • funkateer #55 9 months ago

    I'm starting to hope the next COD will outsell BF3 tenfold. Almost.

    And by the way, I'm hearing very good things about the next PES.
    Edited by funkateer at 21/08/11 @ 01:49

  • flanker22 #56 9 months ago

    cocky faggot ea. i dont like activision but those kinda statements deserve failure.
    Edited by flanker22 at 21/08/11 @ 09:19

  • Bullet_Tunnel #57 9 months ago

    I love battlefield, had halo 2 on xbox and bfmc2 was £12 new in the shop i worked in, got it on my brothers recommendation, and get this, I only played the single player like a tool, cause i put bf online and it looked like a ghost town- but that was because the maps were so big- i was running round home base looking for a kill. it wasnt until my bro asked why i wasnt playing it, then he invited me into a game... it was conquest on black gold, and it was teeming with life, i never looked back. Co-Leadered the no# clan-Nomad_Souls (after a long struggle-but 100% legit, no boosting, no glitching for wins). then waited for the next one. 2042 never came, bad co was ok, but a bit shoddy, bad co 2 made up for it a lot. Hope the next one is up to my dreamy expectations. The only thing that will kill this brand is a game a year oversaturation. i did like cod4. but it slowly died over time, epecially during the super hacked/ glitched modern warefare 2.
    Edited by Bullet_Tunnel at 21/08/11 @ 09:35

  • Farzlepot #58 9 months ago

    CoD hasn't been good since iteration #4; it's become the gaming equivalent of Transformers now. If Battlefield is aiming for this status, I won't buy that either.

  • layleeloo #59 9 months ago

    GOOD! CoD is not gaming, its conforming!

  • callum9999 #60 9 months ago

    If all the people on here moaning about how they don't care about it stopped clicking on the articles, and therefore didn't register as someone who wanted to read about it as far as EG are aware, maybe they would slow down...

  • laMbr3tta #61 9 months ago

    @callum9999 you clicked! "just saying"