DICE has gone on the record recently stating that it has its sites set on the Call of Duty franchise, insisting that they will take away a significant amount of market share from Activision with the impending launch of Battlefield 3. Sledgehammer Games, Glen Schofield, has stated that he that he does not see Modern Warfare 3 as being in competition with Battlefield 3 at all, insisting that instead he wants to do better than Modern Warfare 2.
Speaking in regards to any sort of rivalry between DICE and Sledgehammer, Schofield told Eurogamer:
There’s definitely a mutual respect at the development level. The guys at DICE are great, they’ve made great games over the years and I think they have the same respect for us. We need to make a better game for the fans.
Schofield also admitted that he played Battlefield 3 beta, and shared his thoughts:
I like Modern Warfare 3. The reason Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t have a beta like Battlefield 3 is because it can sometimes backfire on the developer. Personally I don’t like to show a painting in progress, because you know as the artist what it’s going to look like when it’s done and you’re looking at it now and don’t feel right about it, because it’s not finished.
Sledgehammer Games seems to be taking the moral high ground concerning the proposed rivalry between their studio and DICE. Perhaps EA should take note, and use Battlefield: Bad Company 2 as a comparative point of reference in the future when they are asked questions regarding Battlefield 3.
