It has been some time in the making, but there is finally news on the release of the much-anticipated Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile. Activision's official blog came up with a post on February 28, which disclosed that the smartphone version of one of the most iconic games in the legendary franchise will be released worldwide on March 21 on both iOS and Android.
At launch, the title will have two popular maps — Verdansk and Rebirth Island — that will give mobile gamers a taste of the real Call of Duty action wherever they go. Moreover, there will be two modes available for users — Battle Royale and Multiplayer — even as they can busy themselves with leveling up weapons and the Battle Pass, which will have shared progress across Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone.
The upcoming smartphone offering was in a Limited Release throughout the last year, with the developer gathering feedback, fixing bugs, and continually optimizing the game to make it one of the best ever upon its worldwide launch. The blog noted that 'this time spent with our Limited Release players has proven invaluable with dozens of major updates, thousands of bugs fixed, and new content and features added.'
Players can also access fan-favorite multiplayer maps like Shipment and Shoot House alongside various modes. Users can now play how they want with deep control and accessibility options, with the shared progression feature that allows them to level up weapons, XP, and more across titles 'bringing the franchise together in a new way for the first time.'
Lastly, the blog revealed that the game has surpassed 50 million pre-registrations, with those who haven't done so having the option here. Anyone who pre-registers for Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile can unlock the following redeemable rewards upon the worldwide launch:
- The Ghost "Condemned" Operator Skin
- The M4 "Archfiend" and X12 "Prince of Hell" Weapon Blueprints
- The "Foe's Flam" Vinyl
- The "Dark Familiar" Emblem
Readers can get more info regarding pre-registration rewards at this link.
Battle Royale games on Twitch this year have seen viewership improvements
When looking at the dynamics of games on the purple platform, it is clear that there are a few dominant names while the others flit in and out, depending on updates and content. When it comes to the BR genre, only five games have made the grade constantly, with most of them seeing gains in their main viewership metrics this year thanks to the advent of new esports seasons beginning across the globe.
Fortnite leads the pile by a landslide as the Epic Games builder shooter saw a massive surge in popularity recently thanks to the OG season update in December when the game reached numbers from its heyday. Other names to make the mark include two highly popular mobile titles with stable competitive scenes — PUBG MOBILE and Garena Free Fire.
There is also Apex Legends, one of the most popular esports games from the Battle Royale segment. Respawn Entertainment's offering continues to attract millions of viewers to its various tournaments and events, with the 2022-23 ALGS season receiving almost 20% more watch time compared to the previous year, thanks to a new and longer format of the event schedule.
Then there is Call of Duty: Warzone, so far the second most watched and popular BR game in 2024. Its enduring fame shows how much demand there is for the legendary franchise and how invested long-time fans are in the games put out in the series. With the mobile version now coming out, it remains to be seen how that affects its viewership dynamics, but the player base might just see a spike thanks to the ease of access and portability.
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile's release could just open up a new avenue for Activision to take its highly-touted series to new heights, especially in mobile-heavy markets like Asia and Africa. The potential and name value are there, and it remains to be seen how the response will be once the main game is out in the third week of March, with streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube set to play vital roles.
Recent Warzone & Mobile Call of Duty esports recap
When moving to the esports side of things, which is sure to be introduced to CoD: Warzone Mobile when the time is right, it is clear that things have been going pretty well. Last year, COD Mobile’s most-watched event ever took place, as the Call of Duty Mobile World Championship 2023 hit a massive 534.2K Hours Watched, one of only two events in the discipline to cross the 500K HW mark.
When it comes to Call of Duty: Warzone esports, 2023 was not half-bad, with the World Series of Warzone 2023 Global Finals ending as the game's second-most popular competition of all time. It also made the top ten of the most viewed table, thanks to a never-seen-before prize pool of $500,000. Moreover, the World Series of Warzone saw a growth of over 100% in its watch time thanks to the new format, showing that Warzone's competitive scene can develop separately from Call of Duty.
In fact, there are hopes that it will surpass the team-based tactical shooter in terms of audience reach soon. With the mobile variant coming out soon, we could just see a new era of successful COD esports events.