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Call of Duty Mobile had the biggest launch week of any mobile game in history, with 100 million downloads.
The data comes from market analysis firm Sensor Tower. Sensor Tower’s report shows that Call of Duty Mobile‘s massive launch beat the previous record set by Nintendo’s Mario Kart Tour, which saw 90 million downloads during its own launch window.
Popular mobile titles Fortnite Mobile and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile saw approximately 22.5 million and 28 million downloads, respectively, during their own launch weeks.
Call of Duty Mobile also generated roughly $17.7 million in revenue during its launch period, outperforming several of its rivals. Mario Kart Tour generated about $12.7 million in its first week, while Fortnite Mobile brought in a comparatively paltry $2.3 million in its first week in August 2018. PUBG Mobile, which did not begin monetizing until two months after its release, brought in about $600,000 in its first week of offering in-game spending options.
Source: Sensor Tower
Despite their humble launch weeks, Fortnite Mobile and PUBG Mobile are powerful forces in the mobile games scene. PUBG Mobile recently became the first mobile battle royale game to generate over $1 billion in revenue, thanks to a Tencent-assisted rebrand and Chinese release.
Call of Duty Mobile was developed by Tencent’s (OTCMKTS: TCEHY) Timi Studio, in partnership with Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI). Tencent also holds a minority stake in Fortnite developer Epic Games.
Call of Duty Mobile strong contender for esports treatment
Call of Duty is one of the most popular esports franchises, and Activision Blizzard is dedicated to increasing its presence and popularity in the future. The publisher is currently organizing a Call of Duty League that will be similar in structure to the popular Overwatch League, which it intends to launch in 2020.
Mobile esports, meanwhile, is reportedly on the verge of a boom, particularly in Asia. With the full weight of Tencent behind its release, Call of Duty Mobile will have an assist in the often challenging Chinese market, which was vital to PUBG Mobile‘s international success.
There has been no official word about whether Tencent or Activision Blizzard intend to position Call of Duty Mobile as an esports title, but based on the histories of both companies and the current market trends, it seems likely. Mobile-facing esports organizations, like the recently formed Esports Pro League, would be wise to keep an eye on Call of Duty.
