Oct 16 (Reuters) - Electronic Arts' ( EA ) "Battlefield

6" has hit all-time highs for franchise sales during the first

three days of its launch, selling over seven million copies, the

video game publisher said on Thursday.

EA was betting on the latest "Battlefield" title to restore

the franchise's reputation and loosen the dominance of "Call of

Duty," published by Microsoft ( MSFT )-owned Activision

Blizzard, in the first-person shooter genre.

"Battlefield 6" was launched on October 10, weeks after EA

agreed to a $55 billion sale to a Saudi-backed investor group in

a deal fueled by its prized gaming portfolio.

The game had over 172 million matches played online and

accumulated over 15 million hours watched on streaming services

over the three-day weekend, EA said in a statement. It recorded

the highest number of concurrent players ever for "Battlefield."

"Battlefield 6's" Season 1 will be released on October 28.

Seasonal content will be rolled out regularly, with the next two

phases of the season arriving later this year.

EA's other shooter games such as "Apex Legends," "Titanfall"

and "Star Wars Battlefront" have lost steam, forcing it to rely

on one of its best-known franchises to attract consumers who are

sticking with proven titles amid tariff-led economic worries.