Activision's highly anticipated unveiling of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 during Gamescom Opening Night Live has taken an unexpected turn, with the latest trailer seemingly pushing more fans toward pre-ordering Battlefield 6 instead. As 2025 marks the first direct competition between these titans in four years, the gaming community eagerly awaits to see whether Black Ops 7 will maintain Call of Duty's dominance or if EA's upcoming Battlefield title will successfully reclaim its former glory.

The ultimate showdown between these franchise giants will occur later this year when both titles officially launch. However, Battlefield 6 appears to have gained significant early momentum, with its open beta shattering franchise records. Electronic Arts confirmed this became the largest playtest in Battlefield history, unsurprising given the shooter reached over 521,000 concurrent players on Steam during its opening weekend—surpassing Call of Duty's all-time peak on the platform from nearly three years ago.

Following a mind-bending reveal trailer in June, Activision showcased Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 to global audiences during Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 19. Unfortunately, the trailer has faced substantial criticism and negative reception. One particularly telling comment, which accumulated nearly 40,000 likes, stated: 'This actually made me pre-order Battlefield 6.' Numerous similar sentiments followed, with users calling it the 'best advertisement for Battlefield 6' and others thanking Activision 'for making it easy to choose [Battlefield 6].'

Although YouTube automatically conceals dislike counts, users utilizing browser extensions have revealed concerning statistics. While not perfectly accurate, the trailer appears to have accumulated approximately 100,000 dislikes at the time of writing. Given the numerous comments discussing pre-ordering Battlefield 6, the negative reception comes as little surprise. While specific grievances vary, the trailer's futuristic gameplay direction—released when fans increasingly demand more grounded experiences—likely represents a core reason for the backlash.

Unrealistic cosmetic items in Call of Duty have long generated community discussion, but players now appear to be abandoning the franchise as their repeated complaints go unaddressed. This issue traces back to Advanced Warfare, but Black Ops 6 accelerated the trend with constant releases of unrealistic weapon blueprints, operator skins, and other cosmetic items. With Activision confirming all these elements will carry forward to Black Ops 7 through Season 1, fans increasingly express interest in switching to Battlefield 6, which promises a more grounded and realistic approach to both gameplay and cosmetics.