callofduty

Call of Duty Mobile (CODM) provided a watershed moment for mobile, proving Western gamers are ready for virtual dual analog stick controls and heralding a wave of Eastern titles to the West. Or did it? Four years after CODM's launch, the graveyard of aspiring mobile shooters' is extraordinary: Undawn, Lost Light, Blood Strike, Valorent (canceled), and Battlefield (canceled). These are high-profile games, too: Undawn reportedly had a 300-person team on a $130M budget to only amass $300k in revenue last month. Conversely, a few titles have succeeded, albeit primarily outside of the West: PUBG ($1.1B), Crossfire (~$500M), Arena Breakout ($50M), and Knives Out (~$109M). However, in the U.S., CODM accounts for 97% of revenue. Surely, this sets up Warzone Mobile for success? CODM embraced an auto-fire mechanic to navigate the inherent awkwardness of mobile FPS controls. Dual analog sticks require […]