Call of Duty
GameBy Infinity Ward · Released Oct 29, 2003
Documents about Call of Duty
Call of Duty: Online Is Dead. Long Live Call of Duty: Online!
Call of Duty: Online functioned as a strategic bridge between Western console-based design and the high-velocity, free-to-play market of China.
- Call of Duty: Online served as a strategic development bootcamp for Activision and Tencent to master free-to-play mechanics, seasonal content cadences, and robust onboarding.
- The technical infrastructure and asset libraries developed for the Chinese market project directly enabled the global scalability and success of Call of Duty: Mobile.
- The project functioned as an innovation hub that pioneered foundational features for the modern franchise, including cross-mode progression and early Battle Royale iterations.
Microsoft thinks Activision Blizzard deal will provide devs with “better revenue and fair marketplace rules”
Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is framed by the company as a transformative move intended to benefit the broader gaming ecosystem, including players, developers, and the industry at large.
- Microsoft is pursuing a $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, positioning the deal as a means to increase competition through improved developer revenue models and equitable marketplace rules.
- The merger faces significant regulatory scrutiny from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority and European Union regulators due to concerns regarding potential anti-competitive impacts.
- Microsoft intends to leverage its app store principles to challenge dominant mobile storefronts and expand the availability of gaming titles across console and mobile platforms.
Global Mobile Games in August 2022
The August 2022 global mobile-game landscape was dominated by a mix of long-standing titles and new viral hits.
- Fate/Grand Order revenue surged 150% month-on-month to nearly $70 million in August 2022, driven by its 7th-anniversary event and consistent content updates.
- Call of Duty: Mobile saw a 38.3% month-on-month revenue increase to $15 million on the App Store following the launch of the 'New Vision City' map, while PUBG Mobile generated over $40 million in combined revenue through a Blackpink collaboration.
- Classic parkour games experienced a resurgence in downloads, with Subway Surfers reaching 19 million Google Play downloads and Temple Run growing 30.4% month-on-month to 10.3 million downloads, the latter fueled by TikTok-influenced content.
Pistols at Dawn
The public dispute between Microsoft and Sony regarding the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard highlights significant regulatory and competitive concerns surrounding the future of the Call of Duty franchise.
- The acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft faces significant regulatory scrutiny, with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) initiating a 'Phase 2' investigation due to potential anti-competitive concerns.
- Sony’s Jim Ryan publicly rejected Microsoft's offer to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for three years beyond the existing contract, labeling the proposal inadequate.
- Microsoft claims it offered a signed agreement to guarantee content and feature parity for Call of Duty on PlayStation for 'several more years,' though the specific duration remains a point of contention.
Sony Was Activision Blizzard’s Largest Customer by Revenue in 2020
The primary objective of this analysis is to quantify the revenue dependency of Activision Blizzard on major platform holders during the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years.
- In 2020, Sony was Activision Blizzard’s largest customer, generating 17% of the publisher's total net revenue, or approximately $1.37 billion.
- By 2021, Apple and Google each grew to represent 17% of Activision Blizzard’s total net revenue, while Sony’s share declined to 15%.
- Microsoft’s revenue contribution to Activision Blizzard fell from 11% ($890 million) in 2020 to below 10% in 2021.
Inside the Microsoft vs. Sony 'Unfair Competition' Feud
Public filings from Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) provide a rare, unredacted look into the strategic friction between Microsoft and Sony regarding the proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard has triggered a public regulatory dispute in Brazil, revealing a fundamental clash between Sony’s hardware-centric model and Microsoft’s service-based ecosystem.
- Microsoft admitted to losing the previous console generation, noting that the PlayStation 4 outsold the Xbox One by a margin of more than two-to-one.
- Microsoft developed Xbox Game Pass as a direct strategic response to its hardware deficit and the dominance of the PlayStation brand.
VIP Subscriptions & The Recurring Revenue Revolution
VIP subscriptions represent a critical, often overlooked component of modern free-to-play (F2P) mobile game monetization.
- VIP subscriptions increase player lifetime value (LTV) and average revenue per user (ARPU) by securing recurring income, which is more stable than relying solely on individual in-app purchases.
- Once a player makes an initial purchase, they have a 60-70% probability of becoming a repeat customer, making the conversion to a subscription model a highly effective strategy for long-term revenue growth.
- Subscriptions can be designed to enhance other revenue streams, such as offering store discounts to boost in-app purchase (IAP) volume or removing ads to capture the maximum potential ad revenue per user.
Activision Blizzard Q2 2022 Financial Results
Activision Blizzard’s financial results for the second quarter of 2022 reveal a significant downturn in performance, primarily driven by decreased engagement within the Call of Duty franchise.
- Activision Blizzard reported Q2 2022 net revenues of $1.64 billion, a 28.3% decline compared to the $2.29 billion recorded in Q2 2021.
- Net income fell 68% to $280 million, while operating profit dropped 64.7% to $338 million during the same period.
- Total monthly active users (MAU) decreased from 408 million in Q2 2021 to 361 million by the end of June 2022.
RAID: Shadow Legends Becomes New Dollar Unicorn on Mobile Games Landscape
The mobile role-playing game RAID: Shadow Legends has reached a significant financial milestone, surpassing $1 billion in lifetime revenue.
- RAID: Shadow Legends has surpassed $1 billion in lifetime revenue within three years of its 2019 global launch.
- The game generated approximately $155 million in the first half of 2022, ranking as the 12th highest-grossing mobile RPG globally.
- Within the squad RPG subgenre, the title currently holds the position of the second-highest revenue generator.
Apex Legends Mobile: Fighting the Competition
Apex Legends Mobile serves as a high-fidelity, squad-based battle royale experience designed to translate the core mechanics of its PC predecessor into a mobile-first environment.
- Japan is the most lucrative market for Apex Legends Mobile, generating 42% of lifetime revenue with an average revenue per download (RPD) of $3.70, significantly higher than the $0.75 RPD in the United States.
- Apex Legends Mobile utilizes a hero-based system that differentiates it from competitors like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile, allowing for deeper lore-based immersion and unique character-specific perk trees.
- The game employs a generous onboarding process that uses AI-controlled bots for the first 8 to 14 levels, ensuring new players have 4 to 6 hours of gameplay before facing real human opponents.
Bungie Reportedly Working on Destiny Mobile in Partnership with NetEase
Bungie is reportedly collaborating with NetEase to develop a new first-person shooter (FPS) mobile title based on the Destiny intellectual property.
- Bungie is developing a new, original first-person shooter mobile game based on the Destiny intellectual property in partnership with NetEase.
- The project has been in development for over two years and represents a strategic effort to expand the Destiny brand into the high-growth mobile gaming market.
- This collaboration builds on a 2018 financial relationship where NetEase invested $100 million in Bungie.
Activision Blizzard Shareholders Vote for Annual Misconduct Report
Activision Blizzard has faced significant scrutiny regarding its corporate governance and business practices, highlighted by two distinct developments.
- In June 2022, 67% of Activision Blizzard shareholders voted to approve a non-binding proposal requiring the company to publish annual reports on workplace misconduct, including sexual harassment, discrimination, and settlement costs.
- The Activision Blizzard board formally opposed the 2022 transparency proposal, arguing that the required reporting would divert resources away from direct employee engagement efforts.
- In early 2026, the Italian antitrust regulator (AGCM) launched an investigation into Activision Blizzard’s mobile titles, specifically Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile, regarding potential consumer protection law violations.
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