EA and Activision have been circling each other like feral cats since EA CEO John Riccitiello said he wanted to see Call of Duty "rot from the core" in June. Activision's Eric Hirshberg responded at Gamescom with no response, saying competition is healthy and mudslinging rhetoric is "bad for the industry." EA's corporate spokesman Jeff Brown agrees with Hirshberg by disagreeing, as he had this to say in response:
"Welcome to the big leagues Eric -- I know you're new in the job but someone should have told you this is an [sic] competitive industry.

"You've got every reason to be nervous. Last year Activision had a 90 share in the shooter category. This year, Battlefield 3 is going to take you down to 60 or 70. At that rate, you'll be out of the category in 2-3 years. If you don't believe me, go to the store and try to buy a copy of Guitar Hero or Tony Hawk." Me-ow. With comments like that, we can't help but think this could all be a marketing ploy inspired by The Real Housewives of New Jersey. We'll know when Hirshberg responds by putting on a cocktail dress and flipping a table in a fancy restaurant.