Battlefield 3 designed to ‘take down’ COD, says EA

EA boss John Riccitiello has made his intentions very clear: Battlefield 3 has been created to take down the mighty Call of Duty.

Speaking at the Ad Age Conference in New York, Riccitiello laid down the gauntlet to Activision.

“This game is designed to take [Call of Duty] down,” he claimed. “If you’re looking for a battle of the titans – Red Sox vs Yankees… Microsoft or Google – and what the tip-off point is for this holiday season, this is it.”

The EA boss also revealed the huge amounts of money being sunk into the battle.

“There will be a couple of hundred million dollars of marketing against these two products going head to head,” he said. “Similar designs – we think we’ve got the better product – it’s going to be a blast.”

With EA’s Battlefield now confirmed to launch in November, presumably within touching distance of Activision’s new Call of Duty game, we’re set for one hell of a fight.

It’s a super aggressive tactic from EA, which if successful could elevate Battlefield to heights it has never previously seen. However, for all its critics, Call of Duty remains a force to be reckoned with. Black Ops has already become the biggest selling title in the US, shifting nearly 14 million copies. Anyone thinking a $200 million marketing budget on BF3 will guarantee victory should probably think again.