Update 3/13: TiMi has denied that Call of Duty Mobile is being phased out, promising more content to come in future updates.
Original story follows.
A recent leak indicates that Call of Duty: Mobile might be phased out in favor of the new Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile. Activision has yet to comment on this report, though the decision allegedly concerns Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Launched in 2019, Call of Duty: Mobile is a free-to-play multiplayer shooter for iOS and Android. Published by Activision, Tencent subsidiary TiMi Studio developed the game. Featuring battle royale, zombies, and more traditional Call of Duty multiplayer modes, Call of Duty: Mobile saw a generally positive reception, earning an average Metacritic score of 81. Call of Duty: Mobile also won Best Mobile Game from the 2019 Game Awards and Mobile Game of the year from the 16th British Academy Awards in 2020. It's also a massive commercial success, with over 500 million downloads and over $1.5 billion in revenue.
However, Call of Duty: Mobile may not be long for this world, at least as far as players outside of China are concerned. Gaming news site Charlie Intel shared part of an internal document on Twitter earlier today. The document refers to carve-outs in Activision's divestment perimeter, presumably in reference to the contract negotiations between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. While significant parts of the text have been cut out, it describes plans to gradually phase out Call of Duty: Mobileafter Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile has its full launch this year. The exception appears to be China, where the game will continue to receive support.
Activision has yet to comment on this report, and information is limited. However, this decision to sunset Call of Duty: Mobile seems to stem mainly from the fact that the game is developed and owned by Tencent subsidiary TiMi Studios. While significant parts of the text are missing, it seems like this might cause issues regarding the ownership of any spinoff games based on Call of Duty: Mobile. While significant context is missing, it appears that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are phasing out the game instead in favor of Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, so the companies will not have to share profits and control with TiMi and Tencent.
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is in development for iOS and Android and has already seen a limited release in some markets. The new game is being developed by Digital Legends Entertainment, Beenox, Activision Shanghai, Solid State Studios, and Demonware. All five are Activision subsidiaries, guaranteeing Activision Blizzards exclusive ownership and control of Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile. Hopefully, this means that Warzone Mobile will stick around much longer than its predecessor.
Call of Duty: Mobile is available now on iOS and Android.