‘Battlefield 4’ Not Competing With ‘COD: Ghosts’ As Much As For Gamers’ Time

Battlefield 4 isn’t really competing so much with Call of Duty: Ghosts as it is for the time gamers have to play it. It’s a common problem when so many major titles are released so close together.

Have you ever bought a bunch of new games and then months later realized you never did more than install one of them? That’s pretty much the struggle DICE’s latest title is facing. The game is selling well enough, but it’s sitting on the shelf and hard drive in gamers’ homes, waiting for them to be done playing Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, COD: Ghosts, and Grand Theft Auto V.

According to DICE L.A. general manager Frederik Loving, the Battlefield franchise has been competing with more than just other games, though. With consoles supporting movies, music, and TV streaming, video games in general are getting less and less of gamers’ time. HBO and Spotify were cited as the series’ greatest competitors.

At this point, several GTA 5 gamers probably perked up and said, “Oh really?”

GTA Online has been the primary time consumer in gamers’ lives for the past month or so, and that will probably continue. Between that and other forms of entertainment which don’t require so much quick reflex and brain power, Battlefield 4 is not seeing a lot of game time.

The basic fact is that there are only 24 hours in a day, and if the gamer who bought DICE’s latest title has a regular job, what time there is left has to be divided between sleep, chores and entertainment. After a hard day of work, most people don’t want to play something competitive and demanding. They just want to unwind with some TV or a movie, or just listen to some music while they eat or relax.

It’s not just other games that Battlefield 4 is competing with, in other words. DICE’s latest game is also competing for your time.