Battlefield 3 still lagging behind two Call of Duty games on Xbox Live

By Adam Rosenberg November 5, 2011

Here’s an interesting blip on the Xbox 360 radar. The most recent online play rankings for Xbox Live put Battlefield 3 behind not one, but two Call of Duty games: Black Ops and 2009’s Modern Warfare 2. Electronic Arts threw a lot of words around about Battlefield‘s dominance in the months leading up to the DICE shooter’s release and even though the game has sold 5 million copies and currently leads 2011 in sales, it is now chowing down on some well-deserve humble pie.

There are a few factors working against the EA game here. For one, Battlefield 3 has been fraught with online play issues since it launched, particularly on the Xbox Live front. What’s more, it was recently revealed that Duty players could look forward to in-game rewards in next week’s Modern Warfare 3 for each previous game in the series that they’d gone Prestige (ie maxed out and reset their multiplayer progression progress) in.

The rankings are really just further proof that Battlefield 3 has suffered from a rocky launch. The multiplayer will probably gel once DICE gets a few more updates out the door and the server issues are worked out. I don’t think anyone ever really expected Battlefield to completely dominate the Xbox Live rankings, but it’s a little surprising to see it falling behind a pair of one- and two-year-old games.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Gaming

5 features Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 Season 3 needs to implement

Enemy with sword in Warzone 2.0.

In many ways, Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0's recent Season 2 update steered the game back on course, adding meaningful quality-of-life improvements and new features across the board. Despite those positive changes, Warzone 2.0 is still plagued with issues, many of which have pushed veteran players away.

Given just how substantial the Season 2 update was, and what we know about Season 3, things are looking bright for Warzone 2.0. But which features need to be added alongside the upcoming season? The day Season 2 went live, Activision revealed that a few features will be added in Season 3 and beyond. These include a Gunfight mode in Modern Warfare 2, the introduction of Plunder in Warzone 2.0, and a ranked Warzone mode. It's unclear when exactly these features will come to the game, but they're in the works and will hopefully launch soon.

Gaming

Modern Warfare 2’s new season is proof Call of Duty needs to take a year off

Main characters of Modern Warfare 2.

The eagerly anticipated second season of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has a lot in store. It'll incorporate a new small-scale Warzone 2.0 battle royale map called Ashika Island, along with new DMZ features and a fresh set of weapons to try out. While Season 2 certainly has lots of exciting new content in the pipeline, things are looking dire for Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer, as very few new features are planned for the update.

Sure, it's nice that Warzone 2.0 and DMZ are getting so much attention during Season 2, but the latest update is a grim sign for the overall life cycle of Modern Warfare 2 -- a game that seems to have been left in the dust as Activision sprints on to its next project,
Modern Warfare 2 road map
So, what exactly is Modern Warfare 2 getting alongside Season 2? On paper, it seems like a sizeable amount. That is, until you break down what's in the works.

Gaming

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 contains the series’ most uncomfortable mission yet

Simon "Ghost" Riley holding weapon and aiming down for Modern Warfare II promo art.

There’s something uniquely mean-spirited and depressing about Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2022)’s campaign. The Call of Duty series has always had issues with its pro-foreign occupation stances, but the sequel to the 2019 reboot hosts one of the most harrowing moments in the entire franchise. It's a moment that isn’t an edgy, marketable feature on the box art or making Fox News headlines like previous games in the series have had.

No, it’s more understated and subtle, but sticks out all the same for its troubling implications.
Borderline
The fifth mission in Modern Warfare 2’s campaign, “Borderline,” sees two Mexican Special Forces agents chasing a terrorist over the border into the U.S. and through a rural town. When they cross the border, the two remark that they don’t have any jurisdiction in the U.S., but can’t let the terrorist just get away, so they’ll sort out the legal details later and make sure to be careful.