The highly anticipated new “Call of Duty” mobile game was released early Tuesday — and it’s already one of the top new apps.
“Call of Duty: Mobile” is a free-to-download game that is available for iOS and Android devices. The first-person shooting game is loaded with in-app purchases that start at $1.49 and cost as much as $159.99.
The game is already the second highest-grossing app in the Apple’s US App Store, according to analytics service Sensor Tower. It’s not yet ranking in the Google Play store.
“Call of Duty: Mobile” isn’t the first mobile game from the franchise, but it “brings together experiences from both the Modern Warfare and Black Ops series of games” for the first time, according to Activision. There’s also a new “Battle Royale” mode that lets players fight as many as 100 people at once.
The game was released worldwide Tuesday, with a few exceptions including China. “Call of Duty: Mobile” was developed by Chinese tech giant Tencent in conjunction with Timi Studio, which made the popular game “Arena of Valor.”
Video game releases in China face tough scrutiny because regulators previously said they wanted to control the number of new online games and limit game time for minors. In May, Tencent was forced to pull the plug on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds because of government restrictions on gaming.
“Call of Duty” is one of Acitivision Blizzard’s most profitable games. The release could help boost the struggling company, which also owns “Candy Crush” and “World of Warcraft.”
In the company’s most recent earnings quarter, Acitivision recorded recorded $1.4 billion in sales compared to $1.6 billion a year ago. Earlier this year, Activision said it was laying off 8% of its workforce. The company is struggling to keep up with free multiplayer games, such as Fortnite.
