There’s been big news in the gaming world as of late: Call of Duty, Infinite Warfare and Battlefield 1 have had their trailers released in the past week. This has subsequently caused a mass social media campaign and some record breaking YouTube viewing figures. Now, before you think “oh god video games…,” just bear with us! This is actually a highly relevant case-study in how to satisfy consumer demands, as well as the sheer power of social media.

Consider it in this light: Call of Duty (CoD) is the clear market leader for First Person Action Shooters. It consistently sells tens of millions of units each new game it releases and these figures increase each year. The series of Battlefield meanwhile is the challenger brand; it has always been in second place but is by no means struggling. This is the game for the people who, on principle, do not like the popular mainstream product (much like vinyl versus CDs, or Torrenting versus Netflix). Battlefield has embraced this by marketing their product as more of a “gamer’s” game, emphasising certain elements such as realism and depth over mainstream appeal. Unbeknownst to those outside the gaming community, this is actually a big-money war that has been raging between the two brands for several years now. But has one of them just released the killing blow? Social media may well be the key…

In recent times, social media has become an increasingly integral part of the business/marketing landscape. Its power can be used to generate huge amounts of content and advertising for practically no cost at all, if used correctly. However, if used incorrectly, you can kill a concept dead in its tracks –  regardless of however many millions of dollars you throw at it. Enter CoD.

CoD’s trailer always creates an incredible amount of hype in the gaming world. Released one week ago, it now has over 25 million hits on YouTube, making it one of the most watched gaming trailers of all time. Not all is as it seems though! Curiously, this video is also the second highest DISLIKED video ever. Not just gaming videos, but all videos ever – only Justin Bieber’s Baby video (with 6 million dislikes) has garnered a bigger share of the public’s loathing (the CoD actually just surged past Rebecca Black’s infamous Friday that had 2.1 million dislikes). At a whopping 2.4 million dislikes, CoD, has angered/annoyed consumers at virtually hereto unheard of numbers in the gaming Industry.

Meanwhile, the challenger brand (Battlefield) has now released their trailer, and in half the time it has 25 million hits as well as 1.3 million LIKES – another worldwide record for gaming trailers. These statistics are mind-blowing considering this has all happened within the space of one week (usual figures would be around 100,000 likes or dislikes just to give you an idea of the scale we’re talking about here).

So why have these games varied from the norm in terms of exposure and popularity? Consumer power is the simple answer. As the market leader, CoD has become complacent, relying on the weight of its brand name to sell products instead of actually listening to its consumer base. The brand has been producing increasingly outlandish games, despite overwhelming consumer opinion that the company to go back to their roots.

Not only this, but the new CoD game comes with a “re-mastered” version of an old-school cult classic game (Modern Warfare 4). Now while this seems like a great idea, there is outrage that the re-mastered version of the old game is only available if you buy the new one – essentially forcing consumers to buy the new product they don’t want, to get the old one they actually do want. In response, fans on social media have decided to campaign against the “corporate greed” and make it their goal to get the game and as much negative publicity as possible.

Meanwhile, challenger brand (Battlefield) has pounced on this opportunity by releasing their latest game just as all this controversy was kicking off. Rather than force-feeding consumers unfounded new ideas and products they don’t want, Battlefield has taken the time to listen, and give consumers what they actually do want.

Is this a prime example of consumer insights done correctly? Evidence suggests a tentative yes for Battlefield – with lots of hype and exposure for the game leading up to release. However, all is not lost for CoD, with a spokesperson claiming that pre-sales are as strong as ever, and that public opinion rarely represents overall selling figures. Only time will tell the just how powerful the overall effect that consumer power plays on the market domination.