Since the release of Call of Duty: Mobile on both iOS and Android platforms on Oct 1, the massively popular first-person shooter has made quite the name for itself. The mobile game published by Activision and developed by Tencent Games has reached over 35 million downloads and is currently the number 1 game in over 100 countries. This is a great achievement, but can it shake the foundations of competitor titles like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile?
COD Mobile’s success
“This is an incredibly fun experience, and we’re only getting started. Congratulations to the teams at Activision and at our partner Tencent’s TiMi Studios for making such a great game for players. And special thanks to our fans for their continued support,” Activision President Rob Kostich said in a press release. “There is a ton more to look forward to as we release more content and updates.”
Activision’s COD Mobile has surpassed this download count faster than any other mobile first-person or third-person action game. It’s obvious why the game is such a huge hit – it brings the franchise’s iconic, first-person shooter action to a mobile device. Tencent Games’ TiMi Studios combined popular maps, competitive modes, campaign characters, and classic weapons from the entire Call of Duty universe into one game.
Mobile competition
In a report by Niko Partners detailing mobile esports games in 2018, it was shown that mobile gamers in China outnumber PC players at a rate of 2 to 1. There is also a great number of mobile gamers, with 2.53 billion in 2019, compared to 1 billion on PC and 500 million on consoles. Mobile games are easy for casual gamers to play and have a low cost to get started, and more people have phones than computers in the world.
In August of 2018, it was revealed that PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile had surpassed 100 million downloads by the four-months mark. It was also shown that the Fortnite: Battle Royale Mobile app had surpassed 100 million downloads in 138 days, which is around 4.5 months. However, the top mobile game is neither Fortnite nor PUBG Mobile.
The top games include China’s Arena of Valor / Honor of Kings and Japan’s Monster Strike. Games like QQ Speed, Lord Mobile: Battle of the Empires, and Clash Royale follow the top two. Seven-year-old game Clash of Clans is right below Clash Royale as well. In comparison, Fortnite was only #9 and PUBG Mobile at #17 for mobile esports game revenue in 2018.
Given the current trajectory of Call of Duty: Mobile, will the game be able to reach 100 million downloads faster than its competitors? And how much of a difference will that make? After all, while the download statistics of the newly released game is impressive, what truly matters is consistent players over time. Let us know what you think, and keep up with Daily Esports for all of your Call of Duty coverage.
