13 Years Ago, EA Killed a Series That Should’ve Gone Toe to Toe With Battlefield and CoD

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It’s been 13 years since EA stopped making one of its most popular game series, and many believe it should have continued to compete with titles like Call of Duty. The first-person shooter market is very competitive, and Call of Duty currently leads the way. Many competing games have either disappeared or become less popular. While Battlefield is starting to gain traction and could offer some competition, it’s unlikely to inspire a full comeback for other franchises hoping to challenge Call of Duty directly.

Medal of Honor was once expected to be a strong rival to the Call of Duty series. Interestingly, Call of Duty originally started as a project designed to challenge Medal of Honor. Activision hired former Medal of Honor developers with the goal of creating a competing first-person shooter, aiming to take on EA’s popular World War II game. While both franchises released competing titles for several years, Call of Duty eventually became the dominant force.

What Happened to Medal of Honor?

Call of Duty truly surpassed Medal of Honor with the release of *Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare* in 2007. This game marked a significant shift for the series, moving away from World War II settings, adopting a more mature tone, and introducing several new features. It took Medal of Honor three years to respond, with a modern reboot simply titled *Medal of Honor* developed with help from the team behind Battlefield. While this new Medal of Honor was a strong, realistic first-person shooter – drawing inspiration from real military events and consultants – it unfortunately launched after *Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2*, which quickly overshadowed it.

Despite the disappointing reception of previous titles, EA tried again in 2012 with *Medal of Honor: Warfighter*, but it didn’t resonate with either critics or players. The story was weak, the game had technical issues, and it was largely forgettable, especially with the release of *Black Ops 2* shortly after. This marked the end of traditional *Medal of Honor* games until Respawn Entertainment developed a new VR installment, *Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond*, in 2020. Surprisingly, this VR game achieved recognition, winning an Oscar for a live-action short documentary included within the game that year.

EA stopped making Medal of Honor games in the 2010s because sales were low and the games weren’t reaching expectations. It struggled to compete with the popularity of Call of Duty, which disappointed many fans. Despite being a groundbreaking series that helped define the first-person shooter genre, Medal of Honor faded away.

Why Medal of Honor Should Make a Comeback

The Call of Duty series is currently facing a lot of disagreement among its fans. The upcoming *Battlefield 6* is a major competitor, pushing Call of Duty to evolve, though the two games still offer very different experiences. Battlefield focuses on large-scale battles with vehicles, supporting up to 64 players and featuring destructible environments. In contrast, Medal of Honor was more similar to Call of Duty, offering a more traditional, smaller-scale player-versus-player experience.

Call of Duty isn’t doing as well lately, which creates a great opportunity for Medal of Honor to make a comeback. It would be fantastic if EA put significant resources into building a strong competitor to Call of Duty – much like Activision did to Medal of Honor years ago. The goal isn’t necessarily to eliminate Call of Duty, but to offer a compelling alternative with a realistic, modern setting, distinct from what Battlefield offers.

Considering how many EA studios are already focused on Battlefield, a new Medal of Honor game seems improbable. EA would likely need to create a new studio or rely on a company like Respawn, which might not want to take on the project. Still, with longer gaps between game releases becoming common, both Battlefield and Medal of Honor could potentially coexist by alternating releases without competing too much. It’s uncertain if EA will revisit this idea, but it’s disappointing they discontinued the Medal of Honor series.

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2025-10-09 01:40