Call of Duty Mobile launched at the start of October and it’s been reported to have had more than 100 million downloads in it’s first week, making this the biggest mobile game launch in history. Sensor Tower reported recently that PUBG, Fortnite and Apex Legends scored 28 million, 22.5 million and 25 million respectively in their first week of release.
Call of Duty Mobile was developed by Tencent’s Timi J3 Studio and published by Activision. This first week performance puts it ahead of the recent launch of Mario Kart Tour which went on to reach just shy of COD with 90 million downloads in its first seven days. The majority of Call of Duty Mobile’s downloads came from iOS where it generated 56.9 million downloads (57%) while Android had 45.3 million. The United States was the most popular location where it was downloaded nearly 17.3 million times (16.9%) and it’s worth noting that Tencent is yet to launch the game in China.
Back in June I was able to download the public beta test and my initial thoughts then were, “It’s not bad, similar to PUBG/Fortnite with options for auto aim or manual. A battle royale mode unlocks when you get to level 5. Much prefer my PC gaming but this runs well if mobile is your thing.” I played through the tutorial last night and noted the BR mode unlocks at level 7 now, but as with the beta, you’re constantly reminded of monetisation. You can complete challenges to earn rewards, which go towards unlocking kit for your elite soldier, but you’re also prompted often to buy the battle pass and crate packs. The controls are surprisingly responsive and the graphics look crisp, though I am playing on a new iPhone 11. I did notice my phone ran pretty warm after playing for about 15 minutes.
I would suggest popularity in the game has been helped along given the upcoming release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on October 25, and doesn’t the launch gameplay trailer for that look amazing! Captain Price is one of my favourite game characters, and his portrayal in this game looks brilliant. I’m finding it harder to resist purchasing this one as the release date gets closer.
#gameonAUS
