Activision Exec: Zelda Can't Compete With GTA 6 and COD

Did you hear that? Activision's chief marketing officer just threw some serious shade at Zelda. Tyler Bahl told The Game Business that GTA 6 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 are the real heavyweights of 2026, not The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake.

"Well, no offense to Zelda, but I think these are the two biggest games of the year," Bahl said. Ouch. But is he right? Let's look at the numbers.

Mat Piscatella from Circana shared some purchase intent data: about 15% of US console and PC players plan to buy Modern Warfare 4. For the Ocarina of Time remake, it's 10.4%. But here's the catch: that Zelda figure is across all PC and console players, and the game is a Switch 2 exclusive. "On a per potential player rate, the intent on Ocarina is far higher," Piscatella noted. So maybe Zelda fans are just more dedicated?

Still, Call of Duty remains a juggernaut—though its star has dimmed a bit. Purchase intent for Modern Warfare 4 is down from last year's Black Ops 7, which was such a disappointment it reportedly derailed Xbox's Game Pass strategy. So while COD will likely outsell Zelda, it's not the unstoppable force it once was.

But let's be real: GTA 6 is on another level. If Modern Warfare 4 and Ocarina of Time are heavyweight boxers, GTA 6 is Godzilla. Every other game is an ant by comparison. It doesn't matter if you're a little bigger than the other guy when you're facing a literal behemoth.

Even so, Bahl sees GTA 6's launch as a positive for Call of Duty. "I think, in a lot of ways, more people coming into the dashboards, more people taking the dust off their Xbox or PlayStation and starting to play again and loading up that experience is going to be more eyeballs for us," he said. So maybe a rising tide lifts all boats?

What do you think? Is Bahl right to dismiss Zelda, or is he underestimating the power of Hyrule? Will you be picking up any of these games? Let us know in the comments!