Battlefield takes hilarious shots at Call of Duty in new live-action trailer

by

Imagine seeing famous actors in a promotional trailer for a new live-action Call of Duty game. Remember the trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 from 2011? It featured Jonah Hill and Sam Worthington playing a seasoned gamer and a complete beginner.

Most Call of Duty games have included a celebrity partnership of some kind since about 2010. Before I talk about the new Battlefield 6 trailer, I suggest you watch it first – that way, I won’t spoil the surprises! Once you’ve seen it, you can continue reading.

NBA star Jimmy Butler, country singer Morgan Wallen, UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett, and actor Zach Efron-known for his appearance in the 2017 MTV Movie Awards-find themselves unexpectedly in the middle of an airstrike. It feels like another jab at the Call of Duty video game series, personally speaking.

Two of the characters barely speak, which makes the celebrity appearances in this Call of Duty game even funnier. I laughed so hard while watching it, even knowing what was going to happen beforehand!

This trailer dropped just days after we got our first look at Black Ops 7 gameplay, starring Michael Rooker, Milo Ventimiglia, and Frankie Adams. That’s a quick turnaround!

It feels like Call of Duty uses Eminem in its trailers constantly – I’ve lost count! It makes you wonder, would Eminem still be so popular if it weren’t for those yearly CoD trailers featuring his music? (Just kidding, of course – he’s easily a top 5 rapper for most people.)

Zombie modes in Call of Duty are famous for including appearances by well-known actors like Danny Trejo, Michael Rooker, Robert Englund, Ron Perlman, and Kiefer Sutherland, along with many others whose names I can’t recall. It’s clear that the game often uses celebrity cameos.

Adding to everything else, Call of Duty recently released new character skins featuring Seth Rogen and Beavis and Butt-head, which has caused a lot of criticism. Meanwhile, Battlefield is gaining popularity as Call of Duty struggles to recover from the negative reaction.

Although let’s not pretend Battlefield hasn’t had its fair share of celebrity use before.

As an analyst covering the gaming industry, certain marketing moments really stick with you. I still remember the buzz around Snoop Dogg openly smoking during a Battlefield 1 gameplay reveal – it was definitely memorable! And speaking of memorable characters, Battlefield has a history of integrating recognizable faces, like Michael K. Williams, who played Irish – a character fans will remember from Battlefield 4. It was genuinely sad to see him pass; a true talent, especially for those of us who loved his work as Omar Little.

It’s no secret that many game developers are using celebrities in their games these days. Just look at titles like Cyberpunk, or anything Hideo Kojima has worked on.

If it weren’t for JK Simmons, we’d have never been graced by Cave Johnson.

The battle of realistic expectations

Battlefield has assured its players that it won’t release any cosmetic items featuring celebrities, cartoon characters, or anything that feels unrealistic for a war setting. They want to avoid anything that completely pulls players out of the immersive experience of realistic combat.

After hearing concerns from players, Call of Duty has pledged to make its in-game cosmetic items more fitting for the game. They’ve even cancelled some planned partnerships with brands for the next Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, as a result.

I’ve been playing games for over 30 years, and I’ve heard a lot of companies promise ‘realism.’ It makes me wonder how long this current push for it will actually last.

I’ve been a Call of Duty player since 2003 and bought every game until Modern Warfare 2 came out. After that, I just lost interest in the series.

After that, I started playing competitive games like Rainbow Six Siege and Rust, as well as other player-versus-player titles. I also spent more than twelve hours testing the beta version of Battlefield 6.

I actually enjoyed the Black Ops 7 trailer. I’m among the players who still wish they’d bring back jetpacks and the fast-paced movement style some call ‘zoomer’ movement.

Battlefield 6 is coming out in less than two weeks, and Black Ops 7 will follow a month later. These releases will determine which game dominates the first-person shooter scene in 2025. The question is, will newer players or those with more gaming experience be the ones who ultimately prefer which game?

Stay up-to-date with the latest from Windows Central by following us on Google News! You’ll get all our news, insights, and features right in your feed.

Read More

2025-09-30 14:44