Call of Duty is 'too big to fail,' Activision reportedly not worried about Battlefield 6

The age-old FPS war between Battlefield and Call of Duty is on this year, but Activision isn't worried about being knocked off course by Battlefield 6.

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Battlefield 6 is on the horizon and EA aims to make a big explosive re-entry into the FPS genre. The competition looks to be fierce, yet new reports say that Activision isn't particularly fazed by DICE's new mayhem-inducing sequel.

Sources tell Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson that Activision believes Call of Duty is "too big to fail," likely referring to the billion-dollar multiplatform net that the franchise casts over the industry. The sources also say that Activision has annual Call of Duty games laid out for the next four years.

Our own analysis indicates that Call of Duty is unique among its peers; no other franchise releases games annually, makes billions of dollars a year, and also sells tens of millions of copies per year. The only other series that comes close is Grand Theft Auto, but that's not an annualized series.

Our findings also show that Call of Duty has made in excess of $35 billion in lifetime revenue.

Battlefield 6 isn't just an annual release, though; it's a new gateway to rekindle the connection between DICE and the Battlefield community. The developers have put tremendous effort into making the game look and feel authentic, taking inspiration from classic games like Bad Company 2.

The real damage to something like Call of Duty, though, comes in the form of sustained MAUs. EA could pull over Call of Duty players when Battlefield 6 releases, but Black Ops 7 could pull those players back the other way, and even pull Battlefield 6 players on top. There should be a higher level of churn given how close the games are, and how much active buzz there is around both titles.

Games compete for your time as much as they do for your money, and time spent playing Battlefield 6 represents more opportunities for you to spend money. Microsoft, as service-first company, doesn't like that, especially not with one of their highest-priority gaming assets now tied to a subscription.