Call of Duty
GameBy Infinity Ward · Released Oct 29, 2003
Documents about Call of Duty
News Mash-Up: Week 22 & 23 (June 2021)
This industry update provides a comprehensive overview of major developments within the global gaming sector during the first two weeks of June 2021.
- Microsoft is expanding its Xbox cloud gaming strategy by developing a streaming dongle and smart TV app to enable GamePass access via browsers, mirroring the Stadia model.
- Take-Two Interactive acquired mobile developer Nordeus, creator of Top Eleven, for $378 million to expand its mobile gaming footprint.
- GameStop reported a 25% year-over-year revenue increase to $1.3 billion for Q1 2021, though the company still posted a net loss of $41 million.
Mobile Games IP Report 2021: The Top Five IP-Based Titles in the U.S.
The 2021 Mobile Games IP Report examines the financial impact and market penetration of intellectual property-based titles within the United States mobile gaming sector during 2020.
- IP-based titles generated 23% of all U.S. mobile game player spending in 2020, despite accounting for only 9% of all games.
- The top five IP-based mobile games—Pokémon GO, PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, Marvel Strike Force, and Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle—accumulated $1.4 billion in U.S. player spending during 2020.
- Video game franchises were the leading source of IP revenue, accounting for one-third of all licensed mobile game spending, led by Pokémon GO at 12% of the total IP market share.
Ubisoft Financial Results and Free-to-Play Strategy
Ubisoft’s fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, marked a period of record financial performance, characterized by a strategic pivot toward integrating high-end free-to-play (F2P) titles alongside its traditional premium AAA offerings.
- Ubisoft reported record net bookings of €2.2 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, representing a 46.1% increase over the previous year.
- The company is shifting its business model to include more high-end free-to-play titles, aiming to replicate the 'Call of Duty' strategy by adding F2P experiences alongside its existing premium AAA releases.
- Digital sales accounted for 71.8% of total revenue, while back-catalog titles contributed 57.5% of the year's total sales.
TWIG 131 | Apex Legends Mobile, Fortnite Leaks and $9B Rev, Activision Q1 Results, JK Final Episode!
The gaming industry is currently navigating a period of significant structural and financial transition, characterized by aggressive investment strategies and shifting platform dynamics.
- Epic Games litigation revealed that Fortnite generated $9 billion in revenue between 2018 and 2019, with the PlayStation ecosystem accounting for 47% of that total.
- Mobile platforms continue to underperform in monetization and retention compared to consoles, casting doubt on the success of new mobile entries like Apex Legends Mobile.
- Apple’s IDFA opt-in prompts have seen a sluggish adoption rate of only 6–10%, creating ongoing challenges for mobile advertising measurement and monetization strategies.
TWIG 130 | EA Battlefield Game, Epic vs. Apple by WSJ, Blizzard Overwatch Leadership
The gaming industry is currently undergoing a structural shift as traditional developers struggle to reconcile legacy quality-focused cultures with the relentless demands of live-service and mobile-first business models.
- The gaming industry is undergoing a structural shift as traditional developers struggle to reconcile legacy quality-focused cultures with the operational demands of live-service and mobile-first business models.
- Epic Games is pursuing a long-term legal strategy against Apple aimed at dismantling platform gatekeeping, signaling a broader industry trend where major players prioritize store ownership and platform control over individual software development.
- Blizzard is experiencing internal instability and operational friction as it attempts to transition premium intellectual properties into free-to-play formats, highlighting the difficulty of adapting traditional development workflows to iterative live operations.
Garena Free Fire Overtakes PUBG Mobile as the Top Grossing Mobile Battle Royale Game: U.S.
Garena Free Fire emerged as the top-grossing mobile battle royale game in the United States during the first quarter of 2021, signaling a significant shift in the competitive landscape of the mobile shooter genre.
- Garena Free Fire became the top-grossing mobile Battle Royale game in the U.S. during Q1 2021, generating approximately $100 million in revenue, a 4.5x increase year-over-year.
- PUBG Mobile ranked second in U.S. player spending for Q1 2021 with $68 million, while Call of Duty: Mobile followed with $62 million, an 80% year-over-year increase.
- The U.S. mobile Battle Royale market grew 42% year-over-year to $239 million in Q1 2021, effectively absorbing the market void left by the removal of Fortnite from app stores in August 2020.
Building Headquarters: The Social Hub in Call of Duty WWII
Headquarters, a 48-player social hub introduced in Call of Duty: WWII, was designed to evolve the franchise’s traditional menu-based lobby system into an immersive, persistent military base.
- Sledgehammer Games developed 'Headquarters' for Call of Duty: WWII as a 48-player social hub designed to supplement the core multiplayer experience with non-combative activities, such as character customization, minigames, and social interaction.
- The 'Orders and Contracts' system successfully increased engagement with specific game modes and new downloadable content, serving as a primary driver for community activity and daily player retention.
- The 'Social Score' system was implemented to encourage positive community behavior, allowing players to 'commend' others for their contributions, such as custom emblems or weapon paint jobs.
Call of Duty: Mobile Player Count, Revenue & Stats
Call of Duty: Mobile serves as a primary case study for the successful adaptation of a major console and PC franchise into the mobile gaming market.
- Call of Duty: Mobile achieved a record-breaking launch in October 2019, securing over 100 million downloads and $17 million in revenue within its first week.
- The title has accumulated over 400 million total downloads and generated $1.8 billion in all-time revenue since its release.
- The game maintains a consistent performance of approximately $30 million in monthly revenue, driven by in-game purchases, battle passes, and seasonal content.
Top Mobile Games Worldwide: December 2020
The mobile gaming landscape in December 2020 was defined by significant growth in download volume, led by titles that experienced massive year-over-year surges.
- Among Us was the most downloaded mobile game worldwide in December 2020 with 41.2 million installs, representing a growth of more than 36 times compared to December 2019.
- Join Clash 3D secured the second spot with approximately 29 million installs, marking a significant increase of over 2,680 times compared to the previous year, with 39.7% of downloads originating from India.
- Call of Duty: Mobile achieved its highest download volume since November 2019 with 16.6 million installs, driven by a successful late-December launch in China that accounted for 58.5% of its monthly downloads.
Analyst Bulletin: Mobile Game Market Review December 2020
The mobile game market in December 2020 was characterized by a widespread adoption of Battle Pass monetization models and a high volume of seasonal holiday events across major global regions.
- Tencent successfully launched Call of Duty: Mobile in China in December 2020, where it immediately secured a top-10 grossing position following over 70 million pre-registrations.
- The Chinese mobile market saw a rare concentration of three shooter games—Game for Peace, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Crossfire—simultaneously occupying the top 10 grossing charts, all of which are published by Tencent.
- Apple removed approximately 39,000 game applications from its China store in December 2020 due to the lack of required government-issued licenses.
The State of Mobile Game Advertising 2021
The report examines U.S. mobile game advertising in 2021, focusing on ad network share of voice (SOV), creative formats, genre-specific trends, and demographic alignment.
- Gaming-centric networks including Chartboost, Unity, Adcolony, ironSource, and Vungle maintained over 90% share of voice (SOV) for mobile game advertising on iOS and Android throughout 2021.
- AppLovin and MoPub aggressively pivoted toward hypercasual publishers, increasing their game SOV to approximately 90% on iOS and 80% on Android by early 2021.
- AdMob increased its focus on Google Play titles, raising its game SOV from 60% to 80% by Q2 2021.
An Analysis of IPs in U.S. Mobile Gaming
The analysis evaluates the influence of licensed intellectual property (IP) on the U.S. mobile gaming market during 2020, using Sensor Tower’s taxonomy and revenue data from the App Store and Google Play.
- Licensed IP titles represent only 9% of the U.S. mobile market but account for 23% of total player spending and 17% of all installs.
- Video game franchises are the primary drivers of IP revenue, contributing one-third of the total, followed by manga (13%), television (12%), and comics (10%).
- Action, shooter, and role-playing games rely most heavily on licensed IP, with these genres deriving 64%, 45%, and 47% of their respective revenues from such titles.
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