The Success of Call of Duty: Mobile
Activision Blizzard’s Q2 2023 financial results have revealed that Call of Duty: Mobile, their handheld spin-off of the popular shooter franchise, has generated $3 billion in revenue since its launch in 2019.
As the franchise approaches its twenty-year anniversary, Call of Duty: Mobile has become a significant part of the series, with over half of all engagement happening on the mobile platform. Currently, Call of Duty: Mobile is the only full-release mobile title for the franchise, while Call of Duty Warzone: Mobile remains in regional testing. Given the success of the console and PC version, it would not be surprising if the mobile version is already boosting engagement even higher.
Steady Engagement and Positive Response
According to the financial results, Call of Duty: Mobile has seen stable engagement and net bookings year-over-year. The team continues to receive a positive response from players due to the enhancements made to the player experience and the optimization of live operations. Earlier speculations that Warzone would surpass CoD: Mobile have been debunked, as both games occupy different niches. Warzone offers a battle royale experience, while CoD: Mobile provides a multiplayer experience similar to the mainline console titles.
The Future on Mobile
The success of Call of Duty: Mobile is particularly interesting considering the challenges faced by other major multiplayer franchises in the Activision Blizzard portfolio. Games like Overwatch, which recently made the transition from Battle.net to Steam, do not have mobile versions. This success indicates that mobile platforms may be the way forward for multiplayer games.
Although Warzone Mobile is currently in soft-launch, it remains uncertain how its release will impact audience share. However, with all the attention on King and Microsoft’s impending acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it is noteworthy that Activision may have a significant mobile presence through the Call of Duty franchise.
This outstanding achievement is one of the reasons why Activision Blizzard made it to our Top 50 Game Makers of 2022 list. We look forward to seeing their continued success, potentially under the Microsoft umbrella.