Call of Duty Mobile is off to a smashing start (after its initial server issues, anyway)

After a weird soft launch, Call of Duty mobile is finally available to all and sundry. I gave it a spin last night, and to my surprise, it’s a superbly polished, fun take on Call of Duty’s multiplayer formula. Yes, of course it’s riddled with microtransactions and grind, but that’s expected and perfectly fine for a free to play game. It’s already off to a seriously strong start.

While Activision has yet to release specifics, according to the folks who track this sort of thing – Sensor Tower – Call of Duty Mobile has been downloaded and installed on around 20 million Android and iOS devices since its proper launch.

Call of Duty: Mobile has racked up more than $2 million spent on 20 million installs so far, according to Sensor Tower estimates. This includes Activision and Garena's versions of the game. India leads with 14% of installs, U.S. is No. 9 with 9%. #callofdutymobile #callofduty pic.twitter.com/2ici0HBa9g

— Sensor Tower (@SensorTower) October 2, 2019

Update: Activision gave specifics:

“The response from fans across both Android and iOS has been amazing. Already, Call of Duty: Mobile has surpassed 35 million downloads on its way to becoming the #1 ranked iOS app in downloads overall, not only among games, but also among all apps, in 100 countries,” stated Rob Kostich, president, Activision. “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. There is a ton more to look forward to as we release more content and updates.”

The game was developed by Tencent’s Timi studio, bringing together maps, modes, weapons and characters from across the range of Call of Duty franchises, including the Black Ops and Modern Warfare series. It uses mostly standard mobile controls, but it’s seriously fun to play. Or at least it is right now because I’ve yet to dip my toes into ranked, because I’m sure I’ll be obliterated.

According to Sensor Tower, the game’s already earned $2 Million. Most of the installs, they say, come from India (14% of installs!) while the US comes in 9^th with 9% of installs.

It must be said that it wasn’t an especially smooth launch, but given that 20 million people have been trying to play it, that’s not surprising. Anyway, it’s running now, and as with most mobile games, it’s filled with reasons to log in daily, and there’s lots of stuff to unlock (yes, it can be a bit grindy), but it’s honestly a lot of fun, and it’s also free.

Last Updated: October 4, 2019