Let the trailer hate flow through you

That’s right, let the hate flow through you. And then in November, as per usual, turn that hate into profits for Infinity Ward. The time has come (and gone) for the announcement of the annual Call of Duty game, and we the people have spoken: I HATE THE TRAILER!!! Granted, it was not the best produced trailer, and I thought it took way too long to get the point: Call of Duty is going to da moon! I know I’m being glib, but had they led off with that, or gotten there earlier, I would have been more excited for the game. But let’s change gears (and games) for a minute.

Recently, EA and Dice dropped their teaser trailer for Battlefield 1, and boy oh boy, did it look great. The setting is also quite novel, as we’re being taken back to the time of mustard gas and zeppelins as we finally get to fight the Great War itself. I have always been a fan of Battlefield games, with that fandom peaking during the Bad Company series. After the “ho hum” experiences I had with Battlefield 3 and 4, I’m happy that this is bringing me back into the fold.

Do trailers really mean anything? Sure, the trailer for Infinite Warfare has nearly become the most disliked video on YouTube, and Battlefield 1 has become the number one liked trailer, but these facts shouldn’t scare you. One of Call of Duty’s most successful games in terms of sales is Black Ops 2, which received lots of hate for its trailer (165K likes to 60K dislikes). Yet to date, that game has shipped more than 30 millions copies and still boasts quite an active community THREE years after release. So come this November, we’ll know much more about both games, and from there we can all collectively make a choice: do we give our money to Activision, EA, or both? For what it’s worth, one of them will surely be getting my $60.