Call of Duty: Mobile
Call of Duty: Mobile | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | TiMi Studios |
Publisher(s) | Activision |
Series | Call of Duty |
Engine | Unity |
Platform(s) | Android, iOS |
Release | October 1, 2019 |
Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Call of Duty: Mobile is a free-to-play first-person shooter developed by TiMi Studios and published by Activision for Android and iOS. It was released on October 1, 2019. In its first month, the game had over 148 million downloads and generated nearly US$54 million in revenue, making it the largest mobile game launch in history.[1][2] By the end of 2019, the game had been downloaded over 180 million times within three months of its launch.[3]
Development and release
Call of Duty: Mobile was officially announced in March 2019, with TiMi Studios, a subsidiary of the company Tencent Games, leading the development instead of Activision's Western development studios. Many of the game's features were revealed at this announcement, promising a familiar experience for fans of the console games. The aim of the game was to take familiar aspects from the franchise's previous games and allow users to access them from their mobile devices.[4][5] It features two in-game currencies, as well as a battle pass.[6] On July 18, 2019, a soft launch began in Canada and Australia.[7] Following the pre-release, the game was officially released worldwide in most regions on October 1, 2019.[8]
Call of Duty: Mobile features many playable characters, maps, and gamemodes from previous games in the series.[9] Different control settings were included to cater to player's preferences.[10] A "zombies" game mode was added to the game in November 2019. This game mode follows the classic Call of Duty zombies "survival" formula where the player fights off endless waves of zombies, aiming to survive as long as possible. A "Raid" mode was also included where the player must defeat a set amount of waves of zombies before encountering one of two final bosses.[11] Call of Duty: Mobile Zombies mode was removed on March 25th, 2020 due to the game mode not meeting Activision's standards. But, Activision said they might bring it back in a later update.[12]
Gameplay
Players can choose to play ranked or non-ranked matches in multiplayer mode. It has two types of in-game currencies: Credits(C), which are earned through playing the game, and COD Points(CP), which have to be bought with real world money. It is possible to play the full game without paying, however, some exclusive character and weapon skins can only be bought with COD Points.[13] Apart from standard matchmaking, a private room for both the multiplayer and battle royale modes can also be accessed where players can invite and battle with just their in-game friends. Additionally, the game features special and limited multiplayer modes that may last for days, weeks, or a whole game season. These include: Prop Hunt[14], Rapid Fire, Sticks and Stones[15], 2v2[16], Capture the Flag[17], One Shot One Kill[18], Snipers Only[19], and Gun Game,[20] among others.
The Zombies mode was added in Season 2 (November 2019). It placed teams of players against zombies that attacked in waves. The game takes place on the Shi No Numa (Swamp of Death) map from Call of Duty: World at War. It is playable in Endless Survival Mode, which runs like the classic zombies experience, and Raid Mode, which throws a set number of waves at the players before transitioning to a boss encounter. The players can choose whether to play it on normal or heroic difficulty. In Raid Mode, the selected difficulty will mean the difference between fighting through waves of zombies.[21] The mode was removed in March 2020 due to it not reaching the level of quality desired, according to Activision.[22]
Battle royale
Battle royale is a 20-minute match that lets up to 100 players play on a single large map. A player can choose to play alone, as a two-man team, or as a four-man squad. At the start of a game, all players are aboard a plane that flies in a straight line over the map. This flight path changes every game. Every team is automatically given a jump leader who decides when and where the team will land.[23] At the beginning of the game, each player carries only a knife. The map is strewn with weapons, ammunition, weapon attachments and protective vests. Players use them to improve their chances of killing other teams while staying alive themselves. As with multiplayer, players on the same team cannot kill each other. When a player dies, the game shows them as a green crate with large dog tags above it. The player's teammates can collect these dog tags and revive the player. A revived player enters the map on another plane, but armed with a gun. The safe zone on the map shrinks as the game progresses, with players who remain outside the zone being killed. A team wins the game if they are the last one remaining.
Esports
The Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship 2020 Tournament is a partnership between Activision Blizzard and Sony Mobile Communications, and marks the game's entry into the top tier of esports.[24] It features more than $1 million in total prizes, which include both cash and in-game cosmetics.[25]
Competing teams are drawn directly from the game's community through four open online qualifiers starting April 20 up to May 24. Eligible players ranked veteran or higher will have the chance to play. However, the use of desktop emulators and any external devices including controllers and keyboards were prohibited.[26]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 81/100[27] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
4Players | 60/100[31] |
Destructoid | 8.5/10[32] |
Eurogamer | 8/10[33] |
GameSpot | 8/10[29] |
Gamezebo | [30] |
IGN | 7.7/10[28] |
Jeuxvideo.com | 16/20[34] |
Call of Duty: Mobile received "generally favorable reviews", according to the review aggregator Metacritic.[27] IGN wrote that the game “represents the best the juggernaut franchise has ever been on a handheld platform. The leveling path is rewarding, even without spending money, and there are lots of modes to jump around between, including an impressive battle royale mode.”[28] GameSpot says “beyond its messy microtransaction menus and the slight time-saving purchases, there's not much else in Call of Duty Mobile that detracts from its faithful recreation of the exhilarating and fast-paced multiplayer action of the core series.” [29] Polygon also praised the game stating, “Call of Duty: Mobile doesn’t come across like a deeply compromised or watered-down rendition of the age-old multiplayer format; it just feels like Call of Duty.”[35]
In its first month, the game had over 148 million downloads and generated nearly US$54 million in revenue, making it the largest mobile game launch in history.[36]
The game passed 250 million downloads in its first 8 months being available, higher than the first 8 month download of Fortnite mobile and PUBG mobile, and as of June 2020, has generated $327 million in revenue.[37]
Awards
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Song/Score - Mobile Video Game | Nominated | [38] |
The Game Awards 2019 | Best Mobile Game | Won | [39] | |
2020 | 23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Portable Game of the Year | Nominated | [40] |
Game Developers Choice Awards | Best Mobile Game | Nominated | [41] | |
SXSW Gaming Awards | Mobile Game of the Year | Nominated | [42] | |
16th British Academy Games Awards | Mobile Game of the Year | Won | [43] |
References
- ^ Valentine, Rebekah. "Call of Duty Mobile sees best first-week downloads of any mobile game". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Handrahan, Matthew. "Call of Duty Mobile beats Mario Kart Tour's first month downloads". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Valentine, Rebekah. "Call of Duty Mobile reached 180m downloads in launch quarter". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Machkovech, Sam (March 19, 2019). "Call of Duty Mobile announced for iOS, Android, made by China's Tencent". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ Mukherjee, Amritanshu (May 24, 2019). "Call of Duty Mobile: Here's how you can download it on your Android and iOS smartphone". India Today. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ Morgans, Matt (July 20, 2019). "Call of Duty: Mobile Will Feature Two Currencies and a Battle Pass". VGR. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "Search Results Web results Call of Duty®: Mobile: Incoming Intel – Player Progression and Ranking Questions Answered". Activision Games Blog. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Carpenter, Nicole (September 18, 2019). "Call of Duty: Mobile is launching in October". Polygon. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ Avard, Alex (May 22, 2019). "Call of Duty Mobile: Battle Royale includes third-person mode, classes, 100 player matches, and more". gamesradar. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ https://blog.activision.com/call-of-duty/2019-05/Call-of-Duty-Mobile-Fresh-Intel-A-Preview-of-Whats-to-Come
- ^ https://www.gamesradar.com/call-of-duty-mobile-zombies-mode/
- ^ https://www.ign.com/articles/call-of-duty-mobiles-zombies-mode-being-removed-as-its-not-good-enough
- ^ Law, James. "How to get free COD Points, Credits and Items in Call of Duty: Mobile". Metabomb. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Ahmed, Wasif. "Call of Duty: Mobile is getting a prop hunt mode". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Winslow, Jeremy. "CoD Mobile Update Adds Rapid Fire, Sticks And Stones Modes". GameSpot. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Martin, Liam. "Call of Duty Mobile Season 5 release date LIVE, update patch notes, 2v2 Showdown and MORE". Express UK. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Watts, Steve. "Call Of Duty Mobile Update Adds Maps, Modes, And Rewards". GameSpot. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Glover, Stephanie. "Mode Intel: One Shot, One Kill - Activision Games Blog". Activision Games Blog. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Ahmed, Wasif. "Call of Duty: Mobile adds sniper-only game mode". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Ahmed, Wasif. "Gun Game has arrived in Call of Duty: Mobile". Dot Esports. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ Sheridan, Connor. "Call of Duty: Mobile Zombies mode is live, here's how it works". GamesRadar+. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Good, Owen. "Call of Duty Mobile axes Zombies mode in next update". Polygon. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Saurbh, Utkarsh. "Call of Duty Mobile battle royale gameplay guide : Fly helicopters, be a Ninja, battle monsters". Times of India. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Handrahan, Matthew. "Call of Duty: Mobile esports tournament gets $1m prize pool". Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ Webster, Andrew. "Call of Duty: Mobile is getting an esports tournament with $1 million in prizes". The Verge. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ James, Ford. "Call of Duty Mobile World Championship 2020: Sign up, dates, qualifiers, and more". GamesRadar+. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ a b "Call of Duty Mobile for iOS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- ^ a b Hilliard, Kyle. "Call of Duty: Mobile Review". IGN. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ a b Barbosa, Alessandro. "Call Of Duty Mobile Review - Boots On The Go". GAMESPOT. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Fox, Glen. "Call of Duty Mobile Review: The Lines Between Mobile and Console Have Blurred". GameZebo. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Schmid, Matthias. "Test: Call of Duty: Mobile". 4Players. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Andriessen, CJ. "Review: Call of Duty: Mobile". Destructoid. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Santangelo, Manuel. "Call of Duty: Mobile - recensione". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Test : Call of Duty Mobile : Simple, complet et efficace !". Jeuxvideo.com. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Hayward, Andrew. "Call of Duty: Mobile is the perfect complement to the console and PC versions". Polygon. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ Williams, Kate (November 8, 2019). "Call of Duty: Mobile Has Second Largest Launch Month Ever With 148 Million Downloads". Sensor Tower. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ https://sensortower.com/blog/call-of-duty-mobile-250-million-downloads
- ^ "Hollywood Music In Media Awards Announces Nominees". Shoot. November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (December 13, 2019). "The Game Awards 2019 Winners: Sekiro Takes Game Of The Year". GameSpot. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (January 13, 2020). "Control and Death Stranding get 8 nominations each for the 2020 DICE Awards". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
- ^ Shanley, Patrick (January 8, 2020). "'Death Stranding' Leads Game Developers Choice Awards Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
- ^ Grayshadow (February 17, 2020). "2020 SXSW Gaming Awards Nominees Revealed". NoobFeed. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ Chilton, Louis (April 2, 2020). "Bafta Games Awards 2020: The results in full". The Independent. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
External links
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