Battlefield 5 Could Be “Headed for Serious Disappointment” According to Analysts
A market analysis firm, the Cowen Group, recently released a report which raised concerns about Battlefield 5’s potential sales numbers. The game has reportedly seen poor Battlefield 5 pre-order sales figures thus far. Now, Doug Creutz, a member of the Cowen Group has expanded on the report in comments made to CNBC.
The Cowen Group’s Report on Battlefield 5 Pre-Order Figures
Battlefield 5 will release in October, alongside at least two other major titles; Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Red Dead Redemption 2. The Cowen Group report compared Battlefield 5 to Titanfall 2; a game which saw very poor sales due to releasing alongside major Call of Duty and Battlefield titles.
“With a release date directly in between Black Ops 4 and Red Dead Redemption 2, we worry that Battlefield 5 could be headed for a similar fate as 2016’s Titanfall 2, which got squeezed out by its launch directly between Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.”
In comments made to CNBC about the report, Doug Creutz reinforced the concerns which the group has for the game’s launch; “EA’s Battlefield 5 currently appears to potentially be headed for serious disappointment,” he stated; “if we had to pick one game to be a casualty of the crowded October window, this would clearly be it.”
Creutz revealed that Battlefield 5 pre-orders are, thus far, almost 85% lower than those of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. The two franchises have often competed over the same launch windows. However, there is normally a gap of around 20-40%, not 85%.
Could Battlefield 5 Lose Out to Other Titles?
“This is very far off the tracking levels of previous Battlefield titles in 2011, 2013, and 2016,” continued Creutz. Call of Duty typically performs better than Battlefield. Only Battlefield 1 has ever outperformed its Call of Duty counterpart when it comes to pre-order figures. “With a release date directly in between Black Ops 4 and Red Dead Redemption 2, we worry that Battlefield 5 could be headed for a similar fate as 2016’s Titanfall 2, which got squeezed out by its launch directly between Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.”
Creutz guessed that Battlefield 5 would not be able to reach EA’s target of 13-14 million copies sold. The low pre-order figures must certainly be concerning for EA and DICE; October’s release window will definitely be competitive. However, it’s possible that early criticism of Battlefield 5 by a certain subsection of fans, coupled with the missteps of Star Wars Battlefront 2, have discouraged many from pre-ordering. Instead, many fans could be waiting to see how the game performs critically before they invest in it.