Battlefield ‘superior’ to COD

Call of Duty currently holds what appears to be an unassailable position atop of the console FPS genre, but EA seriously believes its upcoming Battlefield 3 can threaten its dominance.

"Pre-orders tell a compelling story," EA Games Label president Frank Gibeau told investors. "Pre-orders for Battlefield 3 are up more than 700 per cent versus the same period before the launch of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. A lot of people are telling us they want to play this game on day one.

"We know we had a big competitor, but head-to-head with Call of Duty in Q3, we have the superior game engine, superior development studio and a flat out superior game. Our goal is to significantly gain share in the huge FPS category and to put the other team on defence."

The comments echo claims made prior to the release of Medal of Honor. Back then EA Europe SVP Jens Uwe Intat told MCV that: "We certainly want to get back on top for shooters with Medal of Honor.

We’re not going to outdo Call of Duty this year but it will get dangerously close. This is going to be a journey, as it has been with the way FIFA overtook PES. In the years to come, we’re definitely going to beat Activision and Call of Duty."

The game received a mixed reception from critics but that hasn’t stopped it performing brilliantly at retail. Yesterday EA said that it has now shipped 5m copies of the game, and upon release last October it shattered previous records for the series.