‘Battlefield 1’ And ‘Titanfall 2’ Releasing Same Quarter Does Not Worry EA

Electronic Arts discussed its upcoming line-up of games for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC during an earnings conference call Tuesday. The mega-publisher has Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 slated to release during the final three months of 2016, but isn’t concerned about the two cannibalizing sales from one another.

Battlefield 1 is currently set with an October 18 release date for those that purchase the $80 Early Enlister Edition and October 21 for everyone else. Titanfall 2 does not have an exact release date yet, but it will most likely release by November 22, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and the mad house that is Black Friday. That puts the release of two first-person shooters a month apart, unless Titanfall 2 is pushed out to the rare early December release.

Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson believes the first-person shooter category is big enough to support both games during the holiday shopping period and the two are different enough to appeal to different audiences.

“In terms of the Titanfall, Battlefield One question, this is a giant category in our industry, $4.5 billion category. There is a very broad and diverse set of players who play games in that category who are looking for – to fulfill different game play motivations,” Wilson explained, as captured in a Seeking Alpha transcript of the earnings call.

“Some people play very quick play, some people more strategic play, and some people want both in different context. The result of those, we feel like we actually have a really strong position to deliver the broadest set of game play mechanics as it relates to first-person shooter genre across the two titles, and feel very confident that we are well-positioned to do very well in that category in a year. Certainly as you see, the reception around Battlefield 1 we feel very good about that. The energy around Titanfall 2 is also building very nicely, and we look forward to showing more of both of those titles at EA Play in June.”

Despite both being multiplayer-focused online shooters, Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 are very different from one another. One is set during World War I and will use weapons and vehicles from the time period. The other is set in the far future with advanced weapons, jet-pack assisted parkour, and the ability to pilot giant mechs. One will push multiplayer counts to 64 while the other will support smaller match sizes in the six versus six range.

Of course, Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 will not have just each other to contend with. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is launching on November 4 with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare included. The reaction to the debut of Infinity Ward’s latest entry into the top-selling shooter was largely negative with many outlets using a record number of YouTube dislikes to the debut trailer as a barometer. Publisher Activision is still confident in the appeal of Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare being included in the same package and notes pre-orders are off to strong start.

There is also the Xbox One exclusive Gears of War 4 to factor in, as well. The game is a third-person shooter and limited to a single console, but it is another contender in the general shooter genre that will battle for sales when it is released October 11, a week before Battlefield 1.

Titanfall 2 remains the biggest mystery of any of the games. Nothing has been shown of the game so far beyond a brief teaser trailer, previously covered by Inquisitr. It is known that a proper single-player campaign will be included this time, but not much else. Electronic Arts Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgenson has seen it, however, and think it looks fantastic.

“[Titanfall 2] has evolved substantially from the first Titanfall. First Titanfall was fantastic. This has added a whole new level to the game and the experience,” Jorgenson said during Tuesday’s earnings call.

What do you think of Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 1 releasing so close to one another? Sound off in the comments below.

[Image via Electronic Arts]