Why Battlefield 3 Will Have a Longer Shelf Life Then MW3October 29, 2011 by

Disclaimer: I am not suggesting one game is better then the other, I am stating why I think there will be a stronger community around BF3

The battle still rages on between Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3. After playing a bunch of Battlefield for hours on end I am convinced that it will have a longer shelf life then Modern Warfare 3. Want proof? Well you should read on below.


Reason #1: Less Frequent Release Cycle


The Call of Duty franchise is infamous for getting a new title every year, this is due to Activisions annualization of the franchise. While this means gamers get more of what they want (more CoD) they are also killing their own franchise. Frequent title releases assures that people are going to get sick of them more quickly. I've talked to many people who are just plain tired of Call of Duty due to the fact it feels like the same game every single year. Your probably wondering what this has to do with Battlefield 3, well I'm about to get to that.

Battlefield is a franchise that's been around since I was a kid, I was practically addicted to 1942 when I was young and I had all of the expansion packs. Battlefield games don't come out every year, thus they are anticipated more by shooter fans and gamers alike. Sure the hype around Call of Duty games are still palpable but most core gamers are getting tired of it.

On top of that people will probably be playing Battlefield 3 for the next 2 - 3 years before another game comes out, in that time Activision will release at least 3 different Call of Duty games. Each one of those games will have dwindling fan bases. Some games may prefer the older titles and stick with those while some move on to the next game. In short fans of Call of Duty will eventually be spread thin while Battlefield fans have a vibrant and sustaining community for a least a few years. This also makes gamers happy because they can stick to the same game for a long time and they wont complain about buying another Call of Duty game the following year.


Reason #2: Hardcore Gamers


As the years go by hardcore gamers are starting to get tired of Call of Duty. While I'm sure there are a lot of hard core gamers out there that still love Call of Duty and play it every year, the majority of you are getting sick of it. People are very vocal online about their dwindling interest in the franchise. Battlefield 3 has only been out for a week and already it has topped 10 million in sales, while Modern Warfare 3 will surely sell more it doesn't mean it will in fact be the better game. Do these sale either indicate that people are shifting toward the Battlefield franchise in light of the too frequent Call of Duty releases? Or is this the calm before the storm?

I for one think it shows us that gamers are just getting plain sick of Call of Duty games and have opted fr something different.


Reason 3: DLC


Before You start immediately blasting me with hate mail hear me out. Yes I understand Call of Duty gets a staggering amount of map packs for download but my god they are expensive. I'm still wondering why everyone complains about the price yet still punches in their credit card and h buy every time some new maps comes out. Out of the gates Battlefield players are assured that they are receiving the first expansion pack for free that not only comes with new maps, but weapons and mods as well. If EA keeps this up and offers something other then maps for gamers to sink into I think it will have a profound effect on that community. Sure Modern Warfare gets a lot of map DLC but they never get anything like weapon packs and mods, also 15 bucks for a couple maps is kinda pushing it.

If EA can offer gamers an equal amount of content (or more) for a cheaper price then the average CoD map pack I think gamers will they more incentive to pay for their downloadable content as opposed to Activision's.


These are the reasons why I believe BF3 will has a stronger, longer lasting and more dedicated community then that of Modern Warfare 3. Activisions annual release cycle, over priced map packs, and a general sickness for the CoD franchise will prove that Battlefield has the ability to hold gamers attention for years to come.

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