Call of Duty Director Apparently 'Throws Shade' At Battlefield 2042 Trailer

War's a coming, as Battlefield 2042 finally makes its first moves onto the scene and puts Call of Duty's stronghold on the first-person shooter genre in jeopardy. Since 2003, Activision and Electronic Arts have duked it out on the virtual battlefield, as both franchises vie for first place.

Although Battlefield was technically first out of the gate with 2002's Battlefield 1942, Call of Duty's debut in 2003 was quickly followed by a huge number of sequels and spin-offs. Even though both have their own loyal fanbases, it's arguably Call of Duty that's come out on top. As Battlefield 2042 hopes to get back in the game, the Call of Duty director has seemingly thrown shade at its biggest rival.

Did the Call of Duty director throw shade at Battlefield 2042?

After what seemed like an eternity of delays and countdown teasers leading to countdown clocks, EA finally unveiled Battlefield 2042 to the world with what looks like a truly next-gen title. Fans are suitably impressed by this war-torn future where extreme weather has ravaged the Earth. Where else can a battle take place in an active tornado?

One apparent critic was CoD Director David Vonderhaar, who posted a side-by-side of Call of Duty's Blackout battle royale and a scene from the Battlefield 2042 trailer. The Treyarch Game Design Director and Unofficial Community Manager shared the two pictures alongside a thinking emoji. It's not entirely clear what Vonderhaar means, but safe to say, he faced backlash from players saying he's being petty.

Vonderhaar was quickly ripped apart on Twitter, with one writing, "Respectfully, you are in no place to talk trash on other games. Literally just go look at cold wars main menu and you can tell the difference in quality". Another raged, "The difference is that they're not stuck in 2012/2015 thinking that the glory of BO2 will help complete sloppy game(BO4/CW) XD". 

Will Call of Duty or Battlefield 2042 come out on top?

Ultimately, the exchange has simply reiterated how much tension there is between CoD and Battlefield. If gamers arguing among each other wasn't enough, we now have those at the top also wading into the drama. Other critics called out Vonderhaar and claimed Call of Duty has ripped off elements from the likes of Destiny and Titanfall. Whether he was being serious or just joking, it looks like the tweet has massively backfired.

As we head toward Battlefield 2042's October release, it'll be interesting to see how the war of the words heats up. Both franchises have dabbled in the future before, however, Battlefield 2042 seems to be marking out a unique and dystopian apocalypse with some clever twists.

Elsewhere, we don't know what's going on with Call of Duty's 2021 offering. There are rumours that the planned Call of Duty: Vanguard won't release this year, so maybe Vonderhaar and the rest of the team shouldn't be throwing stones in glass houses. For the first time in a while, 2021 could belong to Battlefield as Call of Duty is left in the trenches. 

Images via Activision | EA Games