Call of Duty: Mobile has been an astonishing success, chalking up nearly 150 million downloads within a month of its launch. | Source: Polygon
While Activision didn’t afford Call of Duty: Mobile the same marketing fanfare as its mainline titles, the mobile shooter has been nothing short of a resounding success.
Call of Duty: Mobile is now the uncontested leader of the shooter genre with downloads that trounce the combined totals of heavy-hitters PUBG Mobile and Fortnite.
In terms of first-month downloads, Call of Duty: Mobile racked up an impressive 148 million downloads . The US and India accounted for the most downloads, with a combined total of 39.8 million.
In comparison, PUBG Mobile accrued 60.7 million downloads in the month after launch. The mobile version of the global battle phenomenon Fortnite racked up 35 million downloads in its launch month.
The success of Call of Duty: Mobile means Activision added $52.9 million to its coffers in the month after launch. US players lead the charge with $22.8 million spent, followed closely by Japan’s $7 million.
Fortnite mustered $27.1 million and PUBG Mobile a comparatively underwhelming $3.5 million following the introduction of micro-transactions.
More interestingly, Call of Duty’s triumphant debut on the mobile scene doesn’t end with the shooter genre. The game is now boasts the second most successful mobile game launch ever when it comes to first month downloads. Pokemon GO continues to lead the charge. But, Activision’s shooter was able to oust September’s smash hit, Mario Kart Tour, from the second spot.
Furthermore, Call of Duty Mobile recorded the best first-week performance of any mobile title ever , with an estimated 100 million downloads. According to analyst firm SensorTower, mobile users downloaded the game 24 million times in the 24-hours after launch alone.
Whether Activision and developer Tencent can foster a monetization environment ripe for ongoing success remains to be seen. If they can get it right, they’ll have their sights set on topping PUBG Mobile’s lifetime revenue of over $1 billion .