Battlefield 6 blows past 7 million copies in 3 days, 'the biggest launch in franchise history'

Electronic Arts needed Battlefield 6 to be a hit, and it sure looks like it is. More than seven million copies of the game were sold over the first three days of release, making it "the biggest opening ever" for a Battlefield game.

Along with the impressive sales milestone, the opening weekend also saw more than 172 million matches played online, and more than 15 million hours watched on streaming services—both very big numbers. All told, it's "the biggest launch in franchise history," EA said, and enough of a win that even Battlefield boss Vince Zampella, whose frustrations with technical troubles boiled over publicly during Battlefield 6's launch, is all smiles now.

"We never take moments like this for granted, so I want to express our sincere gratitude to our global Battlefield Studios and passionate community that has helped get us to this point," Zampella said. "We appreciate you joining us for Battlefield 6’s momentous launch. We have so much more to come in the weeks ahead."

Battlefield general manager Byron Beede also thanked fans, and credited them with helping build Battlefield 6: "From the initial concept through to the implementation of Battlefield Labs and into the record-shattering open beta we have been obsessed with player feedback. Together, with our players we’ve had a singular goal: to craft the best Battlefield ever."

'Couldn't have done it without ya' is a pretty bog-standard sentiment at moments like this, but in the case of Battlefield 6 it's also warranted, at least to some extent. EA's big innovation (at least for a megapublisher typically allergic to putting unfinished products out in the wild) was Battlefield Labs, a playtesting program that leaned heavily on player feedback throughout the development process.

EA carried that approach into the Battlefield 6 beta test, which PC Gamer's Rory Norris noted "was an actual playtest, and not a glorified demo," and it's an approach that appears to have worked. Anticipation for Battlefield 6 leading up to its release was strong, and while it's far from perfect it is really good: Morgan Park said in his review-in-progress that Battlefield 6 "is the return to form this series needed." After years of struggling to find its place alongside the Call of Duty behemoth, that's a big win.

With the first season of new content for Battlefield 6 set to roll out on October 28, Beede said the strong launch is "just the beginning," and it will definitely be interesting to see how the game holds up over time—especially on November 14, when Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 arrives. Battlefield has traditionally lived deep in CoD's shadow, but between the very strong start for Battlefield 6 and growing Call of Duty fatigue, it's possible that this really will be the year the tables finally turn.