DICE: Shooter competitors are just "treading water"

DICE's Karl Magnus Troedsson has said competing shooter series like the Call of Duty series aren't innovating, they're just keeping their heads above water.

"The competitors ... are out there, they're established, and they're very, very big," the general manager told games.on.net.

"We believe that they are not innovating, that they are treading water," he added.

"We ... are investing our time, our energy and money in actually innovating."

Troedsson was dismissive of the idea that DICE should hold Battlefield 3 up for comparison with other series.

"Every time that we launch a new game, we ask ourselves - what can we do better? What can we make faster? More fun? So, first and foremost we always compete with ourselves," he said, adding that the "blockbuster weight" of Battlefield 3 will help overcome opposition.

The manager mentioned that unlike the Bad Company series, Battlefield 3 is a "real" and "proper" sequel to Battlefield 2. It's due on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Northern autumn.