The long-anticipated release of Call of Duty: Mobile onto the Chinese market occurred on Christmas Day 2020. CoD: Mobile, the product of a partnership between Activision and Tencent, has proven to be a profitable venture for both companies. A recent analysis by Sensor Tower has estimated that the game has grossed over $14 million in just one week, accounting for over half of the game’s total worldwide revenue within the same period.
CoD: Mobile Off to a Great Start
Called ‘Game for Peace’ in the Chinese Market, Call of Duty: Mobile has enjoyed a rapid ascension into the top 5 grossing mobile games in China, landing at number four. With Tencent’s prior releases of PUBG Mobile – currently number 2 – and Brawl Stars, the launch of CoD: Mobile has set another example of Western games over performing in the Chinese market. CoD: Mobile has, at the time of this article, accumulated earnings of $644 million with around 300 million downloads according to Sensor Tower estimates. While it is too soon to say with any certainty, there is a possibility of China replacing the US as Call of Duty: Mobile’s top-earning market, especially given the success of other mobile games such as PUBG Mobile.
Call of Duty: Mobile, a Sign of Things to Come
The early success of Call of Duty: Mobile is certainly of great importance to Activision; however bringing the largest gaming franchise in the world to a fresh market, is more than just a new revenue stream for Tencent. Tencent, which brought Supercell’s Brawl Stars to China, where it made $20 million in its first week, also partly owns Fortnite, League of Legends, and several other notable franchises, now has irrefutable evidence that Western IP’s can dominate in the East just as much Eastern titles, such as Genshin Impact, can dominate in the West. With other big games, such as Diablo Immortal, coming to the Chinese market, it is possible investors will have a renewed interest in the market.
