- The Battlefield 6 x PlayStation marketing deal has been officially confirmed via a trailer shared on the latter's social accounts.
- The move comes after nearly a decade of close association with Call of Duty, which is now aligned with Xbox following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision.
- PS Pro subscribers will receive progression-based perks as a result of the marketing deal.
It’s funny how quickly loyalties can change — take PlayStation and Call of Duty, for example. Activision’s FPS franchise inked a lengthy marketing deal with Sony back in 2014, which meant that PlayStation consoles received exclusive content and co-branded bundles for nearly 10 years. Naturally, players began associating PlayStation with CoD, especially during the PS4 era. But following the publisher’s acquisition by Microsoft, Sony has wasted no time in hitching its wagon to Battlefield 6.
The switch in allegiances became clear after PlayStation released a short advert promoting BF6. Featuring snippets from the game’s live-action trailer, the ad culminates in a frame that reads “It All Goes Down On PS5.” Beyond the obvious messaging, the move brings some interesting perks for PlayStation players and hints at wider implications for the first-person shooter landscape on consoles.
What Does the PlayStation X Battlefield 6 Partnership Mean?
For starters, the PlayStation and Battlefield 6 partnership will make progression a bit easier for PS5 players. PlayStation Plus subscribers are in line to receive exclusive benefits that include:
- Extra Tier Skips in Battle Passes after purchasing the Battlefield Pro token.
- Extended access to 2XP events, giving PS5 players more time with boosted progression.
- Bonus XP gain for the entire squad (including PC and Xbox players) if two players on the squad are on PlayStation.
This isn’t too dissimilar to the advantages PlayStation players have enjoyed on nearly every Call of Duty title in the past 10 years. In fact, they even received exclusive content, such as Spec Ops in Modern Warfare (2019) and the Zombies Onslaught mode in Black Ops Cold War. Will Battlefield 6 roll out exclusive content for PS5 players? Only time will tell, although it does seem likely.
Beyond all the perks, the move represents a dramatic shift in the FPS landscape on consoles — one that isn’t tied to player counts and sales numbers. With Call of Duty now effectively an Xbox brand, PlayStation needed a new contender. Ironically enough, they’ve hedged their bets on Battlefield, which was commonly associated with Team Green, especially since Xbox was the ‘official console’ for BF1, BFV, and BF 2042. Within a year, all parties find themselves on opposite sides.
This transition stacks an additional layer to the sales conversation that’s bound to creep up once Black Ops 7 goes live — the one that pegs Battlefield and Call of Duty against each other, with financial success being the sole parameter. It’s not just about Call of Duty versus Battlefield anymore because they’re now associated with two rival platforms — sparking an almost mini-console war.
This notion can be countered by the simple fact that Xbox is transforming into a third-party publisher day by day, but that doesn’t change the optics. Battlefield is waving the PlayStation flag (at least for now), and Call of Duty is aligned with Xbox, meaning the lines have been drawn, whether intentionally or not.
What do you make of the PlayStation x Battlefield 6 marketing deal? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
