EA aiming for FPS supremacy

In the lead-up to Battlefield 4's launch next month, EA Games executive vice president Patrick Soderlund has spoken out to say the publisher won't quit until it dethrones Call of Duty from its post as the industry's top-performing shooter series.

"Competition is good. It brings the best out of people," Soderlund told MCV. "If there was only Battlefield or only Call of Duty, then the development teams might have been a little bit more content. We don't look at them necessarily and mimic what they do."

"But we think about them. Maybe they weren't thinking about us much when we made Battlefield 3, but I can tell you, they are thinking about us now. They need too [sic]," he added. "We made a dent in the FPS market and we took share from them. And I am not going to give up until I’m No.1 and I am going to make sure I'm No.1."

Soderlund said EA is spending a "ton" of money on this effort, with development teams "killing themselves" every year to create compelling products.

"I want to give our consumers the best I can. We will strive to be No.1. If I said: 'No.5 is probably fine,' it's hard for people to rally behind that message," Soderlund said. "But I wouldn't say we could be No.1 if I didn't think we could. I think I have the right team, the right product, and the right strategy to get there."

Activision's only major shooter franchise is Call of Duty, while Electronic Arts has Battlefield and Titanfall. Soderlund said EA feels no pressure to release Battlefield on a yearly basis because, "to me, it is about a balanced portfolio." EA recently took Medal of Honor out of its rotation after 2012's Medal of Honor: Warfighter fell below sales targets.

Battlefield 4 launches October 29 for current-generation consoles and PC, while Call of Duty: Ghosts releases seven days later for the same platforms on November 5. Both games will be released as launch titles for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November.