Call of Duty Mobile Storms to Record 100 Million First-Week Downloads
Call of Duty's mobile version has predictably been a rousing success.| Source: David Marin Foto/Shutterstock.com
According to data compiled by analyst outfit Sensor Tower, Activision’s latest foray into the mobile gaming space, Call of Duty Mobile, racked up no less than 100 million global downloads in its launch week.
Best First-Week Launch Ever
These figures give Call of Duty Mobile the venerated accolade of the best first-week launch of any mobile game ever recorded.
Aside from massive player pickup, Sensor Tower estimates that players have spent close to $18 million on in-game micro-transactions. The division between platforms is more or less split down the middle. The App Store is responsible for 53% or $9.1 million in revenue. Android purchases account for 47% or $8.3 million.
App Store and Android Call of Duty Mobile downloads also balance fairly evenly with 56.9 million and 45.3 million, respectively. The US market accounted for the most substantial portion of downloads with 17.3 million, trailed by India’s 13.7 million, and Brazil’s 7.1 million.
Call of Duty Mobile Surpasses Fortnite
Comparison to other battle royale mobile launches further highlight the feat. Fortnite drew in 22.5 million downloads in its launch week, while PUBG fared better at 28 million downloads. But, the game’s massive success isn’t confined to the battle royale genre, as it has overtaken former record-holder Mario Kart Tour and its impressive 90 million launch week downloads.
The same applies to generated revenue with closest competitor Fortnite banking a comparatively meager $2.3 million.
Another Success For Tencent
Aside from Activision making in-roads into the mobile gaming market, the news further cements Tencent’s position as the dominant mobile publisher.
The Chinese behemoth was responsible for developing Call of Duty Mobile alongside Activision. Tencent also has a stake in Epic Games, arguably the second most popular battle royale mobile title.
Interestingly, Activision didn’t release the game in China. It remains to be seen whether Tencent will conjure up an alternative version catered to the Chinese market’s strict vetting policies. If it does, Tencent will prime Call of Duty Mobile for even further growth.
