Activision and Tencent announced today that Call of Duty: Mobile is now available in all countries and regions where Google Play and App Store are supported, with the exception of Mainland China, Vietnam, and Belgium.
The title is big bet from Activision Blizzard, the parent company of Activision, that it can double-dip on revenues this year for the franchise, with both Call of Duty: Mobile and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (the latter on the consoles and PC) launching this fall.
Developed by Tencent Games’ TiMi Studios and published by Activision, Call of Duty: Mobile delivers a free-to-play, first-person action experience on mobile. For the first time, players will play many of the most popular maps, competitive modes, characters, and signature weapons from across the franchise, including the Modern Warfare and Black Ops universes, in one experience.
“Call of Duty: Mobile represents a landmark moment for us to bring one of the most successful entertainment franchises in history to the world’s largest platform,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, in a statement. “This is a triple-A, free to play experience that we’re delivering to a whole new audience of fans.”
I’ve played a demo of the game and it looks good. The graphics are sharp, the gameplay is fast, and the controls aren’t that difficult to use, whether you are using a Bluetooth game controller or the touchscreen. That is pretty rare for a mobile shooter title, as it’s quite easy to mess up the controls.
Above: Call of Duty: Mobile
The title includes full head-to-head competitive multiplayer modes as well as an all-new battle royale experience, including classic locations from Call of Duty featuring land, sea, and air vehicles. Vehicles include an ATV, helicopter, and speedboat. The weapons include multiple loadout choices, attachments, lethal and tactical grenades, perks, camos, and more. Scorestreaks include UAV, Hunter Killer Drone, Counter UAV, Sentry Gun, SAM Turret, Stealth Chopper, and more.
Players can fight in modes such as Team Deathmatch, Domination, Frontline, and Search & Destroy. The maps include Nuketown, Crash, Hijacked, and more. Players can progress through the multiplayer ladder or the battle royale ladder. The battle royale map includes locations from throughout Black Ops and Modern Warfare, including Firing Range, Crash, Standoff, Shipment, Killhouse, Overgrown, Nuketown, Launch, Countdown, Estate, and more.
Above: Call of Duty: Mobile
Top characters include Ghost, the masked member of Task Force 141 first appearing in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2; Captain Price, the mustachioed protagonist of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare; and (coming soon) Soap, the player-controlled member of Price’s team in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Following today’s launch, additional free content for Call of Duty: Mobile will take the form of new seasonal updates, game modes, customization gear and items, and much more. The first global community event, titled “Lighting up the World,” is a celebration of the Call of Duty: Mobile launch. As more fans play the game, more rewards will unlock for all fans for free, including new camos for a variety of items in-game. Players can check global progress toward the unlocks in the Events section in-app.
“Today’s release is a celebration for our community around the world. We’re excited to share the Call of Duty experience with fans like never before,” said Rob Kostich, president of Activision, in a statement. “I congratulate the development team at TiMi Studios and our teams here who worked together to bring this great game to life. The community has a lot to look forward to as Call of Duty: Mobile grows and continues. This is just the beginning. There’s much more to come.”
Above: Call of Duty: Mobile
“Our aim from the beginning has been to set a new standard for mobile multiplayer action games by combining Call of Duty’s signature gameplay, content and presentation quality with best-in-class development and live service expertise. Our collaboration with TiMi Studios has delivered a remarkable experience that introduces fresh new ways to engage for fans of the genre and features hallmarks for Call of Duty fans old and new’ said Chris Plummer, vice president of mobile at Activision, in a statement. “Throughout focused and regional tests, the fan response has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Many fine touches and polish items came directly from player feedback. Today we’re starting with a robust suite of multiplayer modes, our original Battle Royale experience and a host of special events, but there’s a ton of more content on the way. Launch is only just the start.”
Activision turned to TiMi Studios, based in Shenzhen, China, to make the game. Timi was founded in 2008, and it has previously made hits such as Honor of Kings, QQ Speed, CrossFire: Legends, and Arena of Valor.
“Activision has been a tremendous partner, and has supported TiMi Studios to create a first-of-its-kind AAA action experience on mobile,” said Leo Yao, general manager of TiMi J3 Studio, in a statement. “For the first time, TiMi Studios and Activsion bring a game that combines the best of Modern Warfare and Black Ops universes to fans, and we look forward to continuing to create new and exciting content for players to enjoy.”
Author: Dean Takahashi
Source: Venturebeat
