Call of Duty vs Battlefield War Ramps Up as Activision Readies Black Ops 6 Free Trial — Which Includes Full Access to the Campaign for the First Time Ever — for BF6 Launch Week

Activision has announced an eye-catching escaped proceedings of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 that conscionable truthful happens to clash with the motorboat week of rival first-person shooter Battlefield 6.

The week-long escaped proceedings of Black Ops 6, which includes afloat entree to the run for the archetypal clip ever, arsenic good arsenic each of Multiplayer (excluding Ranked Play) and Zombies, kicks disconnected astatine 9am PT connected October 9 — conscionable a time earlier Battlefield 6’s October 10 merchandise day — and ends 10am PT connected October 16.

The Black Ops 6 proceedings adjacent includes caller contented from The Haunting update, similar the Gravity, Rig, and Mothball Multiplayer maps, Haunted Havoc Zombies limited-time mode, and more.

The Black Ops 6 escaped trial. Image credit: Activision Publishing.

While Activision hasn’t travel retired and said this proceedings is simply a nonstop onslaught connected EA’s Battlefield 6 launch, fans are nether nary illusion astir the optics here. It’s worthy noting that Black Ops 6 is already playable via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, but the proceedings volition payment Essential and Premium users connected Xbox and of people players connected PlayStation and Steam.

It’s the latest salvo successful what has go a popcorn-worthy back-and-forth betwixt Activision and EA, with each mega publisher’s large fund FPS vying for the hearts and minds of the gaming assemblage this vacation season.

In August, Activision shocked the Call of Duty assemblage erstwhile it confirmed that Operators, Operator Skins, and Weapons from Black Ops 6 would nary longer transportation guardant into Black Ops 7. This came arsenic a large astonishment to players who had expected contented they’d bought for Black Ops 6 to transportation forward, arsenic it has done with erstwhile entries. Explaining the decision, Activision said Black Ops 7 “needs to consciousness authentic to Call of Duty and its setting.”

The feeling was that Activision felt the vigor from Battlefield 6, which is going for a much grounded aesthetic. Developer DICE has indicated it has nary plans to merchandise crossover skins that would interruption the aesthetic Battlefield 6 is going for, and promised the developers were listening to instrumentality feedback.

In a caller interrogation with DBLTAP, Battlefield 6 plan manager Shashank Uchil doubled down connected EA's committedness to grounded realism, and adjacent pointed to Call of Duty's infamous Nicki Minaj tegument arsenic thing Battlefield 6 doesn't need.

“It has to beryllium grounded," helium said. "That is what BF3 and BF4 was — it was each soldiers, connected the ground. It’s going to beryllium similar this,” Uchil said, pointing astatine the cardinal creation featuring soldiers successful worker cogwheel looking retired implicit a wartorn New York City.

He added: “I don’t deliberation it needs Nicki Minaj. Let’s support it real, support it grounded.”

Then, past month, EA ramped up its Battlefield 6 marketing, taking a nonstop jab astatine Call of Duty with a caller live-action trailer. More recently, Activision extended the Black Ops 7 unfastened beta to tally an further 24 hours to October 9, taking it close up to Battlefield 6's merchandise date.

Both games are important releases for their publishers. Battlefield 6 leads the charge, releasing October 10 earlier Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 counter-attacks connected November 14. It volition beryllium absorbing to spot which of the 2 mega publishers is happiest erstwhile the particulate settles.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].