Mike Ybarra, the former president of Blizzard Entertainment and now CEO of PrizePicks, isn’t holding back when it comes to this fall’s FPS showdown.
He believes Battlefield 6 will not just compete with but outright “boot stomp” Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 – and that gamers will ultimately win from the rivalry.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Ybarra declared, “Battlefield will boot stomp CoD this year. But the real win here is CoD won’t be lazy anymore, and we’ll all get better FPS games for it.” He went on to criticize Call of Duty’s recent direction since 2016, citing issues with cheating, bloated UI and installs, and an oversaturated color palette. “People are sick of it,” he added, arguing that Battlefield’s rise will force Activision to raise its game.
When a user suggested he was “bitter,” Ybarra dismissed it. “CoD will get better because BF will be great. You’re blind if you don’t see that. Bitter? No, glad I’m not part of the end of Xbox,” he wrote, taking a swipe at Microsoft’s gaming division leadership. He also voiced frustration over leadership failures leading to layoffs, a topic close to home given his exit from Blizzard in 2024 during the massive 1,900-person layoff following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard King.
Some might call Ybarra’s stance ironic, considering his own years in top leadership roles at Microsoft and Blizzard – periods that weren’t free from controversy or downsizing. Still, his core point stands: genuine competition in the shooter market can drive better results for players. A strong Battlefield could push Call of Duty to innovate, and vice versa.
Battlefield 6 seems off to a promising start. Its open beta already surpassed Call of Duty’s record concurrent player count on Steam, hinting at serious momentum ahead of its October 10, 2025 launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Whether it truly delivers the knockout blow Ybarra predicts remains to be seen, but FPS fans may have an exciting rivalry on their hands.