Call of Duty: Mobile to be replaced by Call of Duty: Warzone ‘over time’

Call of Duty: Warzone is confirmed to arrive later this year on mobile phones.

Call of Duty: Mobile is a free-to-play shooter developed by TiMi Studios and published by Activision for Android and iOS (Image: Call of Duty)

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Released in October 2019, Call of Duty: Mobile has since grown to become one of the most popular shooter titles on mobile, clocking over 100 million downloads on the Google Play Store. But as documents submitted to UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as part of Microsoft’s Activision acquisition show, the game will be “phased out” with time.

“CoD: Mobile was developed and is owned by TiMi Studios, a subsidiary of Tencent. Any spinout of the game would therefore. CoD: Mobile is expected to be phased out over time (outside of China) with the launch of Warzone Mobile,” reads an excerpt from the document.

CoD: Mobile over time will be replaced by Call of Duty: Warzone. Warzone is a free-to-play battle royale game that was initially released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows in March 2020. Last year, Activision confirmed that the title is coming to smartphones.

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The game then saw a limited release in November 2022. Gameplay videos showed it was virtually indistinguishable from its PC version with slick mechanics and excellent visuals, although the graphics have obviously been toned down to help it run smoothly on mobile devices.

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is confirmed to release this year, and the document reiterates it’s “scheduled for release later in 2023.” The game is being developed by a number of developers, namely Digital Legends Entertainment, Beenox, Activision Shanghai Studio, Solid State Studios, and Demonware. This is different from Call of Duty: Mobile, which was developed by China’s TiMi Studio Group.

Microsoft also states in the document that Call of Duty: Warzone’s mobile version would provide the company with the “assets, know-how and talent to develop mobile versions of its own console games.”

The Activision Blizzard acquisition is proving to be a thorn in Microsoft’s side with the company attempting to persuade regulators around the world to clear the $68.7 billion deal. However, concerns about its effect on competition in the industry and lobbying by Sony have led to the US Federal Trade Commission saying it’ll attempt to block the acquisition legally.