The demise of Warzone Mobile leaves a sizable gap to fill on iPhone and Android, even if stalwarts such as PUBG and the return of Fortnite iOS are closing in on it fast. Call of Duty's brand of battle royale thrills is unlike anything else out there, so replicating it on the small screen isn't an easy feat. Call of Duty: Mobile's iteration of the beloved mode lives on, and I asked the head of CODM, Jeffrey Gullett, how the team intends to honor Warzone Mobile going forward.
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile's sunsetting came as a shock to fans of the FPS game, with Activision expressing that it "unfortunately has not met our expectations with mobile-first players like it has with PC and console audiences." While it may have been a critical disappointment, I believe it represents an interesting time in the series, and Gullett feels the same.
"Warzone Mobile was an ambitious project, and the team behind it pulled off some incredible things that had never been done on mobile before. Everyone involved should be proud of what they built," Gullett shares. If you were fast enough to download Warzone Mobile before its delisting on the Google Play Store and App Store, you can still enjoy its battle royale game playlists and traditional multiplayer modes.
However, there aren't any more updates on the way, leaving it completely in the dust. This leaves a hefty number of players looking for an alternative, and Call of Duty: Mobile is waiting to welcome them.
"From the CODM side, our focus hasn't changed. We've always had a clear sense of what makes CODM special, and the team stayed locked in on that. The two games were built by different teams with different goals, so we've mostly run independently." Gullett tells me.
He's also aware that CODM needs to step up to the plate in the absence of Warzone Mobile. He adds that "we're absolutely thinking about players who are now looking to CODM for their mobile battle royale fix. We've got some big updates and improvements coming, and we want to make sure that anyone jumping in feels welcomed and excited about what's ahead."
One of the strengths of Warzone Mobile was the implementation of features such as Omnimovement, the fluid traversal system from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Want to dive around like Max Payne or slide in any direction? Warzone Mobile made that possible. But are there plans for similar features in CODM? It's a possibility.
Gullett says that the team is "always keeping an eye on what's happening across the Call of Duty franchise. There's a lot of inspiration to draw from, and we're always talking about what might work well in CODM. I can't say anything specific right now, but there are definitely some familiar elements coming in future seasons that fans will recognize." With Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on the way, you can also check out our chat about what that means for CODM.
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