Activision and Tencent have been authorized for a global launch of Call of Duty Mobile in China. Authorization began in October of 2019 and has since then been through a long process of adjusting the game to China's standards. After government approval in August, Call of Duty Mobile was released on December 25, 2020 to a massive audience.
The Chinese version of Call of Duty Mobile was announced as available through the game's Weibo page. Since its launch, Call of Duty Mobile has had over 300 million downloads, not counting the new surge of China's gaming population. Early reports read that China had over 70 million pre-registrations leading up to the game's launch, which is sure to give a massive boost to its already large population.
With Call of Duty Mobile officially launching in China, the development team at Tencent has a new trailer available. By partnering with local Chinese celebrities, the developers have a live-action trailer that showcases Call of Duty Mobile action while highlighting familiar faces for the China audience. This launch does make Call of Duty Mobile officially a worldwide title, and now fans can battle it out no matter where they live as long on any supported device. The game does require a strong Wi-Fi connection to play, but other than that, it is a generally free title with some minor microtransactions.
Although not as popular as the Call of Duty franchise's main installments, Call of Duty Mobile is quickly gaining traction to become a billion-dollar title. Unlike other installments of the franchise, Call of Duty Mobile combines aspects from every title into a mixing pot that has been generally well-received by the community.
From holiday events to a rotating battle pass, the developers of Call of Duty Mobile continue to bring new content to the growing title. As the Chinese community joins the ranks of millions of players, it will be interesting to see the impact they have on the game's growing development.
It is important to note that the version of Call of Duty Mobile that China's community is playing does have some slight alternations. Most games that are released in China need to adapt to their cultural standards before being allowed access to the public. Fortnite, PUBG, and many other titles have alternate versions available in China that fit the government's regulations. Still, the Chinese community will still be benefiting from the same gameplay experience as players across the world.
Call of Duty Mobile is available on both iOS and Android devices.