Modern Warfare 3 Domain Used to Promote Battlefield 3

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
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Modern Warfare 3 Domain Used to Promote Battlefield 3


You need to plan way, way ahead when it comes to registering web domains.

Someone is putting the "modernwarfare3.com" domain to good use, but - undoubtedly much to its chagrin - it's not Activision. Rather than leading to the website for the next Call of Duty game, the address sends people to the site for the series' rival, Battlefield 3.

The domain was registered privately in 2009, via a proxy, so it's not clear whether Battlefield 3 publisher EA is behind it, or just someone who really likes Battlefield and has an axe to grind against Call of Duty. Before the redirect took effect last week, the site featured links to anti-Call of Duty videos, along with a rant calling Modern Warfare 3 a "copy and paste sequel" to the "lackluster" Modern Warfare 2. According to Fusible, which has been watching the site for a while, the redirect started when the site's original host, iPage, shut it down last week. This is also something that could happen again, as Activision was unable to secure the "modernwarfare4" domain.

It seems pretty unlikely that EA is behind all this, but with its history of pulling what might be considered "ill-advised" marketing stunts, you can't completely discount the possibility. If it is a marketing stunt though, it's one that's been in the pipeline for quite some time.

Source: Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/5820226/what-the-hells-going-on-with-modernwarfare3com] and Fusible [http://fusible.com/2011/07/modernwarfare3-com-begins-redirecting-to-eas-battlefield-3-more-drama/]




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redisforever

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Oct 5, 2009
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EA, it they're involved, are massive trolls. I do hope this was actually EA. Maybe they're marketing division has been fixed.
 

Jou

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Dec 9, 2007
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Could be their friends from Infinity Ward who had it set up from when they ran the MW side.
 

DEAD34345

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Aug 18, 2010
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Hah, I don't get what problem people have with advertising tactics like this. I find them pretty damn amusing myself. Yeah it's petty and antagonistic... but so what? It gave me a laugh, and if I were interested in purchasing either game I would be slightly more inclined to buy Battlefield 3 due to this little joke.
 

Wicky_42

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Sep 15, 2008
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I love it, doubt it's marketing and is more likely to be some hater of CoD giving them the middle finger XD

On the plus side, I learnt from that site that BF3 will bring back prone (eeeehhhh), and introduce suppression fire effects! :O :D :D Now support gunners can actually support by just spamming at the enemy's cover ^_^ my god, everything (well, apart from prone, but I can live with that as it supports the use of bipods) I hear about this game just fucking ROCKS :D The introduction of features like these are what makes the BF stand out from CoD's arena deathmatches.
 

RuralGamer

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Jan 1, 2011
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Sounds like someone with an axe to grind with IW; I don't think EA would have the foresight to plan something like this.
 

Roserari

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Jul 11, 2011
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This is more than likely one of the most funny moments in gaming rivalry history. I like it.
 

Flutterguy

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Jun 26, 2011
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EA does some very strange advertising tactics (watch the Extra Credits episode called an open letter to EA marketing if you do not already know). I have to say this is definently my favourite one so far.
 

NLS

Norwegian Llama Stylist
Jan 7, 2010
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I'm glad we actually have laws against this in Norway.
Someone tried to pull one like this on us when we had just started up our new organization, and someone who didn't like us wanted to feel like a smart-ass.
In the end we won the rights to the domain name, and whoever said "I know how the rules work, dear" was proven oh so wrong.
 

Agent Larkin

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Apr 6, 2009
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I don't think it's EA. Because I remember reading about this site being registered after some guys registered a different COD title as a website and would only swap it with IW for the super special awesome version of COD MW2.
 

Kungfu_Teddybear

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Jan 17, 2010
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I was given the link from a friend last night. I was like "ugh MW3" he told me to just click it, so I did then up pops loads of stuff for BF3.
 

Rainboq

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Nov 19, 2009
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*slow clap*

Now this, is too funny, I wonder if Activision will copy them and get Bad Company 3?

This could start a trolling war between the two companies.