Marketing in the News: Battlefield 6

By Derek Simpson

I picked this article because I’ve always liked video games, and Battlefield vs. Call of Duty (COD) has been one of the biggest rivalries in gaming for years. This new trailer caught my attention because it’s not just a game ad; it’s clearly a marketing move meant to subtly dig at their biggest competitor. The trailer features Zac Efron, Morgan Wallen, Jimmy Butler, and Paddy Pimblett. A Hollywood actor, country singer, NBA all-star, and a UFC champion. Call of Duty has been notorious for bringing in the most random A-list celebrities to collaborate with, so hiring four of the biggest names in each category, just to have them all explode 20 seconds into the ad, is bold, funny, and clearly meant to go viral.

Forbes Article

Battlefield 6 Live Action Trailer

Forbes, a prominent media company, published an article titled "Battlefield 6’ Launch Trailer Pokes Fun At ‘Call Of Duty’ With Zac Efron And Morgan Wallen" by Erik Kain. The Forbes piece highlights how EA is intentionally trolling Call of Duty with its Battlefield 6 launch trailer. Instead of a serious, action-packed cinematic trailer, it turns towards comedy and not-so-subtle jabs. It’s a shift away from traditional game marketing and more towards creating a player-first agenda. The article talks about EA’s history of competing with Activision’s Call of Duty franchise. Battlefield doesn't want you to buy their games because you can get a Nicki Minaj custom skin (like in Call of Duty), but because of the true content and playstyle of their game. This article highlights Activision's unique tone of the Battlefield 6 campaign compared to past launches, and how this trailer is less about showing off the game itself and more about building hype and conversation, all the while getting media attention for their genius use (or lack thereof) of celebrities.

Battlefield’s value proposition has always been about huge maps, team-based strategy, and realistic, large-scale warfare. They’re not just selling a war game; they’re selling a different experience than Call of Duty. COD is fast and loud. Battlefield wants to be epic, tactical, and large-scale, capable of housing over 128 players in a fast and seamless server.

This is a perfect example of a new product launch with a bold promotional strategy, although the article hardly mentioned it. They used cultural figures to appeal to both mainstream pop culture and country music fans, even with the full intent of killing them off immediately. They were still able to use those celebrities and their social media accounts (totalling an estimated 130 million followers across Instagram and X) without compromising their gameplay-first values. They leaned into humor and rivalry to get people sharing and talking online. The marketing is clearly designed to go viral. But then again, whose isn't?

The main challenge that Battlefield is trying to overcome is its annual 2nd-place trophy behind Call of Duty. Call of Duty dominates the market. COD releases every year and has a huge, loyal player base. Battlefield has also struggled with buggy launches in the past, which has hurt its reputation drastically. Their challenge is to win back gamers’ trust while also standing out, and I think this ad was a great step in the right direction.

Most game trailers are super serious and only focus on showing off new features and gameplay. But let’s be honest; most shooter games are basically the same as the last one, so there’s rarely anything truly new to show. This one mocks its competition openly and immediately, which makes it memorable and conversational. The term that really stands out to me is “remarkable.” The first thing I did when I saw this article was send it to my marketing professor because it genuinely made me want to say something about it. Celebrity casting in a trailer like this is unusual for FPS games. Even Call of Duty will only use a few celebrities at a time, and will mostly use them for skin revenue and target reach, so seeing this many A-list celebrities in one ad is surely enough to attract some eyes. It’s targeted at Gen Z and Millennials who live online and love memes, not just hardcore gamers.

Honestly, I think this is a smart campaign. It creates a lot of free buzz. It doesn’t cost as much as creating and directing a series of 5 different ads. It feels fresh and self-aware. But it could also backfire if the game itself doesn’t deliver. Big promises and humor won’t save it if it launches filled with bugs and code errors (like Battlefield 2042 did).

If it were up to me, the next thing I'd do is follow up this trailer with influencer partnerships and live gameplay previews to show fans that the game works, plays, and looks good. All this talk and media coverage might generate them more first-week sales, but if the game doesn't hold up during gameplay, all these extra eyes will only make a failure more embarrassing.

This shows how marketing isn’t just about pumping ads; it’s about an effective strategy. Battlefield used rivalry, pop culture, and personality to make a trailer that stands out in a crowded industry. It truly is smart and effective marketing.