The new Call of Duty: Mobile releases on October 1 this year, according to an announcement from Activision made earlier today. Call of Duty: Mobile is the free-to-play mobile title developed by Tencent's Timi Studio, and despite not being a main entry into the franchise's storied console history, it will draw inspiration from several of its most successful iterations, including Modern Warfare.
Call of Duty: Mobile is Activision's answer to Fortnite, which has occupied a role as the de facto battle royale title on mobile devices for some time now. The new game will feature multiplayer and battle royale modes at launch, and will be free-to-play, making it an immediate contender in the mobile gaming scene. Just how popular it is remains to be seen, but it's clearly being developed with a specific audience in mind and will feature a battle royale mode with 100 soldiers in solo, duo, or four-person queues. Weapons and vehicles have been altered to better suit a mobile setting, which means Call of Duty: Mobile might take some getting used to for series veterans, but it's essentially the same sort of multiplayer experience the series has delivered for some time now.
Call of Duty: Mobile officially releases this October, but it won't be featured in every country simultaneously. Activision's announcement stated that Call of Duty: Mobile will be available on iOS and Android devices "in all countries where Google Play and App Store are supported," but that excludes mainland China, Vietnam, and Belgium. Essentially, the game will be available almost everywhere, with some specific restrictions. There's no word yet on other future plans after launch, but Call of Duty: Mobile has already teased future plans for the game, so it's expected players will get access to new content with some frequency - with many hoping for zombies sooner rather than later.
Call of Duty: Mobile will also feature multiplayer that has classic maps like Nuketown, Crossfire, and Hijacked, which were all listed in the announcement as something that the game will deliver on. Activision also acknowledged that players will be able to rank up and unlock iconic characters from the Call of Duty franchise, including John "Soap" MacTavish and Simon "Ghost" Riley. It's an extensive offering that seems aimed to touch on as many different iterations of Call of Duty as possible, with the likely intent to appeal to as broad a demographic as possible in order to establish a strong install base early.
Call of Duty: Mobile is going to be a big game at launch - the question just remains how large it can really get. With games to compete with that have already been on the platform for lengthy stays, Call of Duty: Mobile will have to work hard to establish itself as something worth making a player's main title - but the content so far, alongside a strong beta performance, has many fans hopeful that can be the case October 1.