For the past few months, EA and Activision have been waging a video game war between Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 in real time. EA has already gone on record stating they want the annually released Call of Duty franchise to rot. Activision publishing executive Eric Hirshberg stated last week that EA’s mudslinging was bad for the industry. EA’s Jeff Brown had a clear message for the competition.
In response to Activison’s request, Brown told Industry Gamers:
Welcome to the big leagues Eric. You’ve got every reason to be nervous. Last year Activision had a 90 [percent] share in the shooter category. This year, Battlefield 3 is going to take you down to 60 or 70. At that rate, you’ll be out of the category in 2-3 years. If you don’t believe me, go to the store and try to buy a copy of Guitar Hero or Tony Hawk.
It wouldn’t be too far fetched to suggest that Activision does have a history of milking their franchises, but with Call of Duty: Black Ops breaking sales records last year, Modern Warfare 3 will most likely continue the trend. EA may have more of an uphill battle than they let on.
