14 DAY TRIAL // Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello went on the offensive against Activision's Call of Duty franchise, going as far as saying that he hopes the series "rots from the core," meaning that, because it became such a huge phenomenon, it's neglecting hardcore gamers, who will soon turn on it, probably with the release of Battlefield 3.
EA and Activision have been going at it for the better part of this year, as their upcoming first-person shooters, Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, respectively, are set to compete with one another at the end of the year.
EA has been especially aggressive, as Call of Duty is the biggest franchise in gaming right now, so it needs to get people to notice Battlefield 3 in front of what is certain to be the blockbuster of the year, Modern Warfare 3.
The CEO of the company, John Riccitiello recently shared his views on the whole battle with Industry Gamers, leading to some interesting statements.
He started off by appreciating Modern Warfare, while highlighting that it delivers a more stylized combat experience, while Battlefield focuses on realism and enhanced gameplay.
"The honest truth is I think Modern Warfare is going to be a really good game. I think that in a weird way it’s starting to feel a little to me like the Disneyland abstraction of a war game – a little bit jump the shark. So it feels a little bit like that to me. And I think there’s a market for that.
"I think our game is more authentic. It’s definitely going to do a lot of things better. Lighting’s better, physics is better, animations are better, particle effects are better, vehicles are better. I think there’s a lot of things to like about our product and I think it’s going to be a great battle."
Riccitiello also touched on the subject of the recent Call of Duty Elite online service, which serves to augment the multiplayer experience in Modern Warfare 3 with both free and paid services. According to the EA executive, Activision jumped the gun with the announcement, probably because it felt it was losing the hype war with Battlefield 3.
The EA boss ended his statement by saying that because Call of Duty is becoming such a mainstream success, hardcore gamers are feeling neglected, and many will start flocking to other experiences, including Battlefield 3.
"So I do think, though, that we’ve got the better game, the better tack. A lot of people bought Modern Warfare more for the coffee table and didn’t play it for 2 months. There’s sort of that mass audience... they’re going to win there. The question is, 'So, if the gamer buys our game and the mass audience buys their game, where do the two meet?' And all I want to do, if you will, is to have them rot from the core," he explained.
As you can see, Riccitiello is pretty confident that the end of Call of Duty, at least in terms of proper gaming, is near. What do you think? Is Activision going to lose hardcore first-person shooter players to Battlefield 3?