What if Battlefield 3 overthrew Modern Warfare 3?

We all know what to expect this fall. Despite your fanyboy pleas and wants, Modern Warfare 3 is set up to demolish any competition headed it's way this November. While there is still a chance that Battlefield 3 can overcome this and rise to the top, statistics and general knowledge of the game by consumers say otherwise. However, what if Battlefield 3 was to rake in enough sales to finally take down Modern Warfare 3.

[Buho]

The world would come to an end..

[JoGam]

"Best" who I haven't seen for awhile will probably kill himself. He is the BIGGEST MW3 fanboy ever.

[Caleb_141]

He probably already has after seeing the Caspian Border trailer...

I joke! I joke!

[MaxXAttaxX]

hopefully the masses will learn to look around more instead of just following what everyone else does and that there will always be something else out there.

[STK026]

@NathanExplosion

If BF3 sells better than MW3, other developers will simply make poor man's BF clones in order to cash in on the success of the next big thing. You'll have many SP oriented games that will add a poorly designed MP component that will feature big maps, vehicles and some ammount of destruction, hoping to get some sales from the BF fans.

EA will notice just how much money they can make with Battlefield, will rename the next MoH to Battlefield something, will release it next year and see that the name alone can sell the game from now on, which will lead to another DICE Battlefield title the following year. Battlefield will go the way of Call of Duty, with 2 or 3 studios working on this single franchise to make sure they get a yearly release. The general consumer will be happy to play it and buy one every year, while people on N4G and other gaming forums will bash it for being more of the same and will start looking for a new contender.

In the end, EA will become the new Activision (which, became the new EA a few years ago) and the cycle will go on.

So, will the consumers start looking elsewhere because a game beats CoD in sales? Nope, they'll just start looking exclusively at that one game.

[zeeshan]

Then may be just may be Activision will at least think of coming up with a different Cod game. Maayyy be.

[jeseth]

The title to this article is like talking about "what would I do if I won the Lottery?"

MW3 will sell 30 million.
BF3 will be a wild success of it sells 10 million.

Whats crazy is MW3 may sell as much in its first week, as BF3 sells in its lifetime. Anyone who looks at the gaming culture right now sees this. If that Treyarch abortion Black Ops can sell 25 million than MW3 will sell more. Plus the Call of Duty "brand" is insanely powerful right now.

Can't wait for Skyrim !!! Lol.

[DeadlyFire]

I expect CoD: MW 3 and Battlefield 3 will probably be alot closer in sales than what people are guesstimating. I am expecting both to sell 20 Million + within 2 years. Well Battlefield 3 is meant to last. CoD: MW 4 will be out before Battlefield 3 stops selling.

[ThatHappyGamer]

@JoGam & @Caleb_141 - Bubbles.

BTW you forgot the "inside_out" troll.

[ChrisGTR1]

lol just watch, everyones gonna start hating on bf3 instead now. it is made by EA you know, not much better than activision.

[SilleGamer]

Maybe Activision will finally realise that soaking customers for everything they've got is not a sustainable business strategy.

[jeseth]

Does Activision :FORCE: people to buy overpriced DLC?

Or do consumers buy these Map Packs on their own. Can't fault Activision for that. EA started the online pass crap and this is not an issue? But Activision puts out optional DLC and they are the devil?

Right . . . .

[SilleGamer]

@Jeseth

Activision are great, however, the prices charged on DLC, map packs etc are disgracefully high.

Nobody is forced into purchasing, but its always nice to be charged a fair price.

[jeseth]

Sille,

I agree with you but if people are paying it why should they take less profit for it? I say that for any game.

Video Games are a business and if people will pay it .. . . charge it! Do I dislike buying Madden every year . . . yea . . . do I buy it anyways . . . yes. I love football and Madden is part of a new season starting. Everyone has their passions. Some people like KZ, BF, Halo, Gears, Uncharted, Madden, Cod, etc. Who are we to judge?

either buy it or don't. Thats all.

[gamingdroid]

There is no such thing as a fair price. Price is determined by what the seller is selling it for and what the buyer is willing to pay for it.

Do you think Coach bags that cost $400 is a fair price? What about those Nike shoes?

Companies are out to charge as much as they can and consumers pay as little as they can. It's the natural order of things in capitalism!

[SilleGamer]

@Jeseth

I agree, in a strictly money-making sense Bobby Kotick is a genius.

They can charge whatever they like for their DlC, but some of the enormous profits generated should be used to develop a stunning new engine for Modern Warfare or to develop a host of brand-new IPs.

[cannon8800]

The world would start to make sense once again.

[iamnsuperman]

Before EA does exactly the same thing at activision. The thing is if Battlefield came on top then instead of COD clones we will get BF3 clones. EA are starting to make yearly releases of MOH and BF3. The thing is the engine in BF3 was a big improvement. That will no change. We will have BF3 styled games until DICE release another Battlefield game

[Kakkoii]

After EA recently announced BF3 won't release personal server files, no LAN play, it has pretty much ensured that BF3 won't overtake MW3. MW3 is going to allow personal dedicated servers. None of this greedy third party host bullshit.

[otherZinc]

"What if Battlefield 3" were a good game for the 1st time?

How about that question 1st?!

[felidae]

and what is a "good game" for you, sir troll?

please ... don't tell me Call of Duty

'______'

[SilentNegotiator]

If it did, I'd be on the other-side of the mirror.

[gamingdroid]

.
EA are douchebags towards not only their competitors, but also their customers as EA graciously:

a) introduced online pass to the industry

b) deletes your digital games purchased and your entire account if you are inactive on Origin

c) prevents you from accesing your games on Origin if you get banned from any of EA's site

d) has utter nasty DRM, remember Spore and number of times you could install a game. Heck, this was true of what is now Origin a short while back

e) the Origin EULA allows EA to act like spyware while rummaging your hard drive for software history and share it with third parties with no option to even opt out

.. and to those who hate Activision

f) EA essentially introduced annual game releases

g) and also cut out competing sports game brands with their exclusive deals

h) choose to run their own game servers (from MS) so they can shut it down at will!

.. and to their comeptitors:

i) they throw insults after insults even after the competition is responding in a polite manner. Can you believe that?

j) they want competitors games to "rot from the core" so EA can win, not because EA are making a better game

So if EA become dominant? I would fear for the gaming industry!!!

[Biggest]

Sounds like you're really upset about something that happened to you in Origin.

[bozebo]

True though, EA are pricks, as with any publisher. Publishers do not have a place in the modern games industry anymore... oh yeah wait, boxed games... But for downloadable titles, publishers should go and burn in hell because all they want to do is take the profits out of the hands of the developers.
Look at minecraft - no publisher, just a game that people can buy from its own site, no DRM whatsoever; and it made a lot of money.

[Moragami]

Bozebo, if you're so woefully ignorant, it's best if you don't comment. It's completely obvious that you have no idea what a publisher does. (HINT: it not just burning DVD's)

[psvitaisking]

what if?? they get richer while we get poorer caus we bought the game n probably dlc to lol

[life doomer]

The world will turn upside down and everybody will be eliminated by the sdjfgsdjgjksbg.

[the_hitman3000]

it would mean activision will see cod isn't doing good compared to BF so they prob put more work into it and maybe one day upgrade there engine

[Angels3785]

Or they might do what they did to Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk RIDE and end it.

[Ja555on]

There's no way they are ending COD any time soon, it's the name that sells the game.

[SkylineR]

I think if anything is going to overthrow or kill COD, it'll be Activision. Yes COD is popular but so was Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk. Unfortunately yearly renditions of the same game isn't a large window for the developers to come up with ground breaking new things. From the consumer side of things, yearly updates don't motive you to invest as much time in reaching the highest level in ranks as you know there's a new version coming. Think for a second World of Warcraft - it wouldn't be the same if there were yearly editions. I think Activision needs to implement a system where the game gets new co-op missions, new multiplayer modes, new guns, etc to give the game more longevity.
Personally I think COD will eventually go the way of Guitar Hero. Don't get me wrong I like COD but there's only so much u can do on a yearly basis. Look at Valve's Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, etc. Games that have been out for years, but people still play them because of new features and modes/mods. Cod needs a similar structure for the future.
I'm looking forward to Battlefield 3 as it's something fresh and the fact I spent hours and hours playing BF2. ;) (no, not the silly bad company spin offs) I hope EA/Dice don't follow suit and make yearly BF games. Support the game online via DLC, but don't over do it either.

[stu888]

Imagine COD without Treyarch. They are the ones that have killed COD/Activisions decision to include them.

COD 1: Brilliant
COD2: Brilliant
COD4: Brilliant
MW2: Pretty good

Cod3: Rubbish
WaW: not great
Black Ops: Rubbish

MW3 would be really exciting if treyarch hadn't made COD crap

[xxxAnubisxxx]

What if I was tired of reading these worn out articles.... oh yeah, I wouldn't read them just like I didn't read this one.

[Kingx2]

lol as much as we would like this it's not going to happen.

[newleaf]

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

[Gamer_Z]

It would force Activision to improve their damn engine win win.

[Simco876]

Two different games, so they can't overthrow anything.

When people finally realize that, we will be better off

[JeffGUNZ]

100% agree, bubbles to you good sir.

[Cpt_kitten]

it already did have you not seen the leaked videos? and those are just the alpha full game is gonna be great

[JeffGUNZ]

You're really basing it off leaked videos on a high end gaming pc? Really? It looks to me that you have already made up your mind way before that.

[Cpt_kitten]

well it is call of duty, same old broken, outdated, horrible piece of crap they trick everyone into buying again since cod4 so if you think an outdated engine from 2007 can beat a brand new engine in a game with awesome quality and gameplay then....then you live a sad sad life

[MrSent]

Get over yourself. Call of Duty hasn't done anything new in years. It will surely (slowly) lose it's fan base. Multiplayer in all CoD games consists of tiny ass maps. The Co-op modes are heinous and laughable. (READ COPY AND PASTE) Half their DLC have been maps that are RE SKINNED from previous iterations. Call of duty only has a Single Player rail shooter campaign, heavily scripted AI. The Co-Op is nothing short of lazy development.

The only thing CoD has is it's multiplayer. But it's stale, it's been stale. You cant' sit there and blurt out "CoD will never need a new engine" and truly believe that unless you are truly ignorant. If you keep pumping out the same garbage, eventually even the stupid people realize it's garbage. Get to an optometrist man, cuz you be blind.

[JeffGUNZ]

@ MrSent.

Get over myself? First off, the only game I have pre-ordered is Gears 3. I also never stated cod NEVER needs a new engine. Not many people buy COD for the campaign, like you mentioned, they do it for the MP. As I agree it has been overkill the last so many years, the game is still a fun game. I doubt I will even try COD or BF till the Spring with Gears coming out, my main point is people here state opinion as if it is fact, saying the MP is the same. Listen, I am not doubting it won't be, but it is premature and childish for one the make a final judgement on ANYTHING without all the facts.

Once they reveal the MP next week, that's when some judgement should be made. Until then, all people have are speculation and assumptions.

Thank you, but my vision is fine. Maybe you should take off your fanboy goggles and begin to act like an adult.

[OcularVision]

If BF3 beat out MW3, then people would hate BF3. Everyone always hates the alpha dogs and cheers for the underdog. derp

[wastedcells]

BF will be the better game by far... Technically by even further.

[jon1234]

i dont think it will ever happen, there are to many idiots who love running around small maps like a chicken with its head cut off

[wastedcells]

Cod is for halo fans and casual gamers now.

[Bob570]

Um, not many Halo fans actually play Call of Duty.

[lMHl]

halo is better then BF3 douche

[bozebo]

Halo is a brilliant game.

People just hate it because it's well liked and they don't understand why.

Some reasons why it's good:
Extremely high production quality
Very few obvious or game breaking bugs
Artistically brilliant
Properly designed and balanced maps
Properly designed and balanced weapons
Constantly tweaked and maintained
Excellent campaign AI
Really fun Vehicles
Proper effort put into all the extra content
Perfect use of the 360's hardware

Compare that to the bugs and imbalance that CoD and BF are plagued with... The reason I like CoD and BF is because people die very quickly :P (so reaction time and map awareness prevail) But there is no hiding the fact that Halo is an amazingly high quality game - nearly on par with games like MGS.

[dazzalfc]

Im not a massive fan for CoD games myself, and much prefer the more tactical, generally slower pace of Battlefield, mainly as it requires you to think more.

Having said that, i really don't care if one outsells the other. It isn't going to effect my enjoyment, infact the only thing it does effect is EA's or Activisions bank balance, which is the last thing on my mind when buying/playing a game

Hell, it might even be a blessing in disguise if Battlefield 3 were to outsell MW3. Might force Activision to go further, which results in better games for us

[xtremegamerage]

I don't care if it does.

I'll be playing BF3 day 1.

I'm not playing the beta though, i want it fresh:)

But i'm sick and tired of hearing kids waffle on about quick scoping. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[_Aarix_]

Waffle?

[bozebo]

I only started hearing people complaining about quick scoping recently. Isn't that just somebody being faster than said complainer? Seems totally fair...

Thats like complaining you have been wandeaged from the other side of the map in CS, because the other player was very good... hardly makes sense.

I want to go and 'quick scope' some fools right now :P

[Kee]

I think it'd be a nice change. Sure, I don't like battlefield games but it'd give activision a huge kick up the arse (which they definitely need) and encourage them to try something bold with their call of duty games.

[JBSleek]

I don't talk about impossibilities...

[ilikegam3s]

Then it will be sliced and diced :D

[capcock]

What if there was a N4G without shitty articles?

[Pro_TactX]

I would seriously consider paying a membership fee for such a place. The fee would probably weed out most of the shitty people too.

[capcock]

Agree, let's make the webiste dawg! :D

[Bob570]

MW3 can keep it's shameful crown. I don't want all those idiots from Call of Duty ruining Battlefield 3 for me.

[EmperorDalek]

This is why COD and BF fans hate each other.

[shooter747]

Why can't writers understand, as being said over and over, that these two FPS games have different game play, game style, game preference. Both games are good and it's the gamer's preference that will dictate which game a player is going to buy or stick longer.
Using the stats of the previous years, the number of players wanting to play MW style is still massive than those who like BF style. DICE also tried COD style in MOH but fizzled out. So, in the long run, as long as COD's quality stays the same, BF will never overtake COD.

[death2smoochie]

If BF3 out sells COD, inside_out will slit both his wrists and take a swan dive from the tallest bridge

[ufo8mycat]

Unfortuntely that will never happen and they are both different types of FPS games

COD is more targeted for casual gamers, while BF is hardcore.

But just for the funnies, if it did happen, maybe Activision will wake up and realise that releasing the SAME game every year only works for so long. Improvements would need to be made etc.

Theres more casual gamers then core, so COD will outsell BF sadly.

[mamotte]

The world will spin again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, ...

[bjh089]

lol it wont cod is way to big. but if they start comin out with them every year like cod than ya it will def be a competition but until than nope not gonna happen.

[TheKramerllama]

How would that be better competition for COD? COD comes out on a yearly basis, and thats what makes the game the watered down mess it is. BF comes out every few years and is constantly evolving, and is a hard hitter.

[Killman]

As much as I dislike COD, you cannot compare the two. BF3 will do great regardless.

[kingslayer1000]

but.. but.. the sales

[felidae]

... the world would be a little bit better!

[felidae]

to each his own - i don't like the sterile look and the bad enemy AI (you can't even call it AI) of Call of Duty games.

COD is fun for a while but BF's gameplay is more varied.

i also like the realistic feel more than COD's arcade feel.

[thespaz]

The only thing that bugs me about MW3 is the fact that I can't look down and see my feet. It feels like I'm flying a camera around with a gun strapped to it. Also, why do you float up ladders?

Killzone 3 is much better when it comes to animations. You see everything you're doing.

[pinkyxyz]

It would force the MW franchise to actually innovate instead of regurgitate the same thing over and over again

[The_Quiet_Man]

"What if Battlefield 3 overthrew Modern Warfare 3?"

Bobby Kotick would have to sacrifice some devs to his God Lucifer in exchange for success. That man would probably cannibalis his own kids for eternal record sales (jk).

[fullmetal297]

Let's hope EA doesn't sell out if they ever overtake the Modern Warfare franchise.

[Sub-Zero85]

All COD game isnt nothing more than a new map pack that they sell for $59.99 , never improving at all...... same gameplay with better cinematics BF3 will crush MW3 as far as the better quality game MW3 might sell more but it will suck rinse & repeat is what Activision does . EA/DICE for the win !!

[Bladesfist]

So many people are commenting saying "people only hate cod because its cod", "people hate cod because its popular" but this goes both ways some people I know buy cod because its cod and dont even look at reviews or trailers. Others buy it because all their mates have it and its popular.

[Relientk77]

doubtful

[bjh089]

that explains why millions stil play cod right. its funny its def not perfect but than u play other fps shooters online and nothin can compete thats why i still play cod.