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Examine the marketing strategies and development of Call of Duty®: Mobile, emphasising its success within the mobile gaming sector.
The Call of Duty franchise has smoothly transitioned from consoles and PCs to mobile devices, retaining its momentum and widespread appeal.
With the launch of Call of Duty: Mobile, Activision successfully entered the competitive mobile gaming sector, breaking numerous records in its first week and receiving an enthusiastic reception from players around the globe.
Since its release on 1 October 2019, Call of Duty: Mobile has reached significant milestones. By November 2024, the game celebrated its fifth anniversary with over a billion downloads, introducing new content including a battle royale map and a new submachine gun.
In March 2024, Activision released Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, further expanding the franchise's presence on mobile. These developments underscore the game's ongoing growth and commitment to delivering engaging content for its global player community.
Before examining Call of Duty: Mobile's user acquisition strategies, it is crucial to identify its player demographics and target audience.
The game successfully appeals to three main player archetypes:
By providing diverse gameplay and polished experiences, Call of Duty: Mobile not only meets the needs of various player types but also ensures long-term engagement. This multifaceted appeal has enabled the game to stand out in the highly competitive mobile gaming market.
In organic user acquisition, App Store Optimisation (ASO) is a key strategy. For a game, platforms such as Google Play and the App Store are the main channels through which players discover and download it.
Even globally renowned gaming IPs like Call of Duty: Mobile recognise the importance of ASO. Through meticulously crafted ASO strategies, the game attracts a substantial number of free users and effectively boosts the conversion rate of paying users.
👉 ASO For Games: A Complete Guide to App Store Optimisation for Mobile Games
In the app store, Call of Duty: Mobile includes the full brand name and specifies "Mobile," allowing players to quickly recognise it as the mobile version of the classic Call of Duty series. For many fans, simply seeing the "Call of Duty" brand is sufficient to spark interest in downloading. This brand recognition significantly enhances the game's visibility and appeal.
Moreover, the game incorporates the latest version name, Call of Duty: Mobile’s Season 1: Wings of Vengeance, helping players differentiate between versions and further reinforcing the brand's identity across multiple platforms.
The game's icon features characters from the Call of Duty: Mobile universe, such as Simon "Ghost" Riley, which strongly appeals to the player base, particularly long-time series fans. This choice leverages the franchise's rich character roster to attract and retain users.
The promotional video for Call of Duty: Mobile on the App Store is well-crafted and fast-paced, highlighting the game's polished graphics and core gameplay. In a 30-second overview, it showcases the main features, with prominent titles aiding viewers in understanding each aspect. The 3D visuals and dynamic effects are thoroughly displayed, ensuring players anticipate the in-game experience post-download.
Unlike some games that include cinematic scenes or exaggerated renderings, this video emphasises authenticity by presenting actual gameplay. This transparent approach fosters player trust and can improve click-through rates.
However, it is worth noting that the video lacks a clear call-to-action (CTA). Including explicit prompts such as "Download Now" or "Discover More" could effectively boost conversion rates by encouraging viewers to proceed with the download.
In contrast to the video's authentic representation, the game's screenshots are enhanced to display more polished visuals than the actual gameplay. While this might be slightly misleading, the screenshots effectively highlight Call of Duty: Mobile's key features and appeal, emphasising its engaging combat scenarios. This strategy aligns with player expectations for action game visuals and offers potential players substantial visual attraction.
The design of these screenshots goes beyond simply showcasing the game interface; it focuses on conveying an intense and "cool" atmosphere, successfully capturing players' interest and curiosity.
(image via App Store)
In the United States, Call of Duty: Mobile ranks tenth in both the "Non-Stop Action Games" and "Games Everyone's Playing" categories, with downloads of 48,500 and 34,000, respectively.
The game also features in the "Non-Stop Action Games" category in India, Brazil, and Japan, ranking tenth. Additionally, in the U.S., it appears under "Recommended Games," with over 20,000 downloads.
This demonstrates a direct link between Google Play's recommendations and download numbers.
Frequent updates of game versions significantly enhance new user acquisition. Continuous updates allow developers to improve game balance, playability, and graphics, offering a superior gaming experience that attracts new players.
Moreover, app stores often prioritise newly released or recently updated applications in their rankings. Regular updates can optimise these rankings, resulting in increased downloads.
The following chart illustrates that after each in-game event update for Call of Duty, estimated downloads experience a notable surge, further demonstrating the crucial role of version updates in user acquisition.
(image via FoxData)
Call of Duty: Mobile's advertising approach primarily centres on video creatives, as videos are the most effective ad format for mobile game conversions.
Overall, the game's advertisements are straightforward, filled with thrilling and action-packed gameplay sequences that showcase its top features. The ad creatives remain faithful to the game, avoiding misleading content, which is commendable.
The target audience comprises players who enjoy the excitement of action games, mastering various skills, and acquiring and customising equipment.
👉 Organic & Paid Acquisition: Which Channel Brings In More Users & High-quality Users?
Here are three key insights from Call of Duty: Mobile's advertising approach:
This involves including as much actual gameplay footage as possible, avoiding misleading cinematic scenes. This ensures that viewers see an accurate representation of the in-game experience upon installation.
Activision achieves this by showcasing different game aspects in each creative, catering to diverse player interests. For instance, some ads focus on customisation, appealing to players who express themselves through in-game personalisation.
Others emphasise high-octane action sequences, appealing to those seeking excitement in action games.
Merely showing gameplay and highlighting top features is not enough; the presentation must be compelling. All Call of Duty: Mobile ads are dynamically edited, which is crucial.
Even the most exciting game can appear dull if the footage is monotonous. Incorporating various effects, titles, subtitles, sound effects, and music can make the creative more captivating.
Our analysis of Call of Duty: Mobile reveals the strategies behind its success. Understanding these tactics allows you to apply similar techniques to elevate your game to top chart positions.
If you need assistance promoting your mobile game and attracting more users, do not hesitate to contact us—ASOWorld specialise in this field!
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