Electronic Arts earnings report revealsBattlefield 1saw twice as many players during its first week than Battlefield 4, showing the game’s initial success.
It’s been a big year for Electronic Arts. Along with its normal line up of sports-related releases, the publisher has launched a handful of major titles, includingTitanfall 2,Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2,Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, andBattlefield 1. The latest title,Battlefield 1, has been a major success for the publisher,outsellingBattlefield 4andBattlefield Hardlinecombined sales in the first week.
Yet it seems the World War I shooter isn’t done dominating the gaming industry. During a financial earnings report shared today, EA revealed theBattlefield 1player base during launch week was almost double that ofBattlefield 4, and is still growing.
While EA didn’t provide specific sales numbers forBattlefield 1, the fact that it’s doing so much better thanBattlefield 4is telling. Granted,Battlefield 4had a rocky start, but it was still better than EA’s lastBattlefieldgame,Battlefield Hardline, which struggled at launch and never really recovered.
That seems to have changed withBattlefield 1. Thanks to acompelling single-player campaign story, immersive environments, and impressive gameplay,Battlefield 1is both a financial and critical success.
WhileBattlefield 1is doing well, it has yet to be really tested against similar titles in the industry.Titanfall 2was released shortly afterBattlefield 1, but the two titles are different enough that EA doesn’t feel the two will hamper the others’ sales. But withCall of Duty: Infinite WarfareandCall of Duty: Modern Warfare Remasteredreleasing later this week, it’ll be interesting to see ifBattlefield 1can continue its strong sales, or if it will fall victim to the power ofCall of Duty.
ConcerningTitanfall 2, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said the game’s sales haven’t been cannibalized byBattlefield 1. That said,Titanfall 2sales have been lackluster, and projections from industry experts is the game will continue to see“substantially disappointing” sales. With the futuristic shooter releasing after the financial quarter ended, which the EA report discussed, no firm numbers have been provided by the publisher.
It’s hard to imagineTitanfall 2picking up steam considering the current momentumBattlefield 1has, and the upcomingCall of Dutyreleases. Of course, ifInfinite Warfareflops, gamers may be open to jumping intoTitanfall 2, but again it will be competing withBattlefield 1.
At it’s current rate, it wouldn’t be surprising to seeBattlefield 1outperform expectationsand put theBattlefieldfranchise back on top as a leader in the shooter genre.
What do you think aboutBattlefield 1’s success so far?
Battlefield 1is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
