Can Call of Duty: Mobile compete against Fortnite and PUBG Mobile?

Since the release of Call of Duty: Mobile on both iOS and Android platforms on Oct 1, the massively popular first-person shooter has made quite the name for itself. The mobile game published by Activision and developed by Tencent Games has reached over 35 million downloads and is currently the number 1 game in over 100 countries. This is a great achievement, but can it shake the foundations of competitor titles like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile?

COD Mobile’s success

“This is an incredibly fun experience, and we’re only getting started. Congratulations to the teams at Activision and at our partner Tencent’s TiMi Studios for making such a great game for players. And special thanks to our fans for their continued support,” Activision President Rob Kostich said in a press release. “There is a ton more to look forward to as we release more content and updates.”

Activision’s COD Mobile has surpassed this download count faster than any other mobile first-person or third-person action game. It’s obvious why the game is such a huge hit – it brings the franchise’s iconic, first-person shooter action to a mobile device. Tencent Games’ TiMi Studios combined popular maps, competitive modes, campaign characters, and classic weapons from the entire Call of Duty universe into one game.

Mobile competition

In a report by Niko Partners detailing mobile esports games in 2018, it was shown that mobile gamers in China outnumber PC players at a rate of 2 to 1. There is also a great number of mobile gamers, with 2.53 billion in 2019, compared to 1 billion on PC and 500 million on consoles. Mobile games are easy for casual gamers to play and have a low cost to get started, and more people have phones than computers in the world.

In August of 2018, it was revealed that PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile had surpassed 100 million downloads by the four-months mark. It was also shown that the Fortnite: Battle Royale Mobile app had surpassed 100 million downloads in 138 days, which is around 4.5 months. However, the top mobile game is neither Fortnite nor PUBG Mobile.

The top games include China’s Arena of Valor / Honor of Kings and Japan’s Monster Strike. Games like QQ Speed, Lord Mobile: Battle of the Empires, and Clash Royale follow the top two. Seven-year-old game Clash of Clans is right below Clash Royale as well. In comparison, Fortnite was only #9 and PUBG Mobile at #17 for mobile esports game revenue in 2018.

Given the current trajectory of Call of Duty: Mobile, will the game be able to reach 100 million downloads faster than its competitors? And how much of a difference will that make? After all, while the download statistics of the newly released game is impressive, what truly matters is consistent players over time. Let us know what you think, and keep up with Daily Esports for all of your Call of Duty coverage.

Istri Ninja, Jessica Blevis Beberkan Alasan Utama Suaminya Keluar Dari Twitch

Seperti yang kita ketahui bersama bahwa mantan streamer nomor 1 di twitch yaitu Tyler “Ninja” Blevins sudah hengkang dan berlabuh kedalam mixer. Banyak yang menduga bahwa kepindahan Ninja menuju mixer tersebut karena gaji yang diberkan mixer lebih banyak dari twitch. Namun tidak sedikit pula yang beranggapan ada faktor lain yang membuat Ninja keluar dari twitch. Alasan yang saat ini masih menjadi misteri.

Menurut menejer dari Ninja sekaligus sang istri sendiri yaitu Jessica Blevins mengungkapkan alasan sebenarnya mengapa suaminya tersebut memilih untuk keluar dari twitch. Menurutnya twitch tidak mendengarkan pendapat ninja mengenai kontrak baru yang diberikan. Twitch dianggap membatasi kebebasan Ninja untuk berkembang lebih jauh lagi dari bidang streaming dan gaming.

Alhasil kini Ninja lebih memilih bergabung dengan streaming platform baru buatan Microsoft. Dengan begitu Ninja bebas untuk melebarkan sayapnya dibidang yang lain. Seperti yang kita ketahui saat ini Ninja sudah berhasil menjalin kerja sama dengan brand Adidas selepas keluar dari twitch. Hal tersebut tidak akan bisa dilakukan jika Ninja tetap berada di twitch.

Selain itu Jessica juga menuturkan bahwa tingkat ke-toxic-an dari twitch sudah melampau batas. Banyak chat bernada toxic yang dilakukan oleh para penonton dan hal tersbeut membuat motivasi dari Ninja untuk melakukan streaming menjadi menurun. Kini bersama mixer dan microsoft, Ninja menjalin kerjasama jangka panjang sekaligus mempromosikan game-game buatan microsoft tentunya.

COD Mobile reaches over 35 million downloads in its first week

In just the first few days of its worldwide release, COD Mobile has reached a shocking player count. According to Activision, the mobile game has seen over 35 million downloads across all devices since Sept 30. While COD Mobile was expected to do well, it’s safe to say no one anticipated this kind of start.

Back when this game was first announced, players were excited to get their hands on it. Mashing up every fan-favorite aspect of Call of Duty into one title was something fans have desired for some time. However, with this kind of beginning, some believe that Activision can apply the same free-to-play logic of Mobile to the mainstream COD titles.

Could COD Mobile change Call of Duty’s future?

35 million downloads in a matter of days for any game on any system is outrageous. Though there was a beta and ample time for fans to see gameplay, 35 million is still a terrific mark. It may be nowhere near PUBG Mobile‘s 400 million, but given some time, COD Mobile could see somewhere near that figure.

Photo credit to Justin Taylor of Activision

The reason for COD Mobile‘s success can be attributed to many things. The smoothness, the consumer-friendly microtransactions, the gameplay, etc. However, like a lot of other popular games, the free-to-play aspect is the main reason it’s booming.

Games such as the aforementioned PUBG Mobile, Fortnite, and Apex Legends all got their start because they were free-to-play. The same goes for COD Mobile‘s start; if it were even $10, there would be nowhere near 35 million downloads.

With this much success so quickly, there’s no doubt it’s caught the eye of Activision. Notoriously a money-first company, Activision has felt in recent years that a free-to-play model for the COD franchise wouldn’t make as much money as the regular $60 price tag.

Pairing that $60 with supply drops and other in-game purchases, Activision has never had a reason to change course. However, that could very well change given the amount of success and revenue COD Mobile has brought in. In the first two days of release, the game generated over $2 million from in-game purchases.

There’s no telling what a company like Activision will do following this. However, the success of COD Mobile will certainly make them look at the future of Call of Duty.

What do you think about COD Mobile? Let us know, and keep up with Daily Esports for all Call of Duty coverage.