Call of Duty Online in China to be shut down in August as CoD Mobile gains popularity in region
Call of Duty Online had been an extremely popular entry in the franchise in the Chinese region, but various issues and the rise in popularity of CoD: Mobile has led to the official announcement of Call of Duty Online’s future shut down in China.
One entry in the high-profile first-person shooter franchise that many players may not know about is Call of Duty Online, a popular game in China over the past six years since its official release in 2015.
The title was a mashup of fan-favorite content from previous entries in the Call of Duty franchise, much in the same way as CoD: Mobile currently is. However, a couple of circumstances has led to the official reveal that Call of Duty Online will be shutting down in China with players being pushed towards CoD: Mobile.
According to a report by China & Asia Video Game Analyst Daniel Ahmad, Tencent will be shutting down Call of Duty Online at the end of August.
Declining revenue and the lack of renewal for licensing for the franchise from Activision were the two main reasons for the decision by Tencent to announce the upcoming shut down of Call of Duty Online in China, according to Ahmad.
The official announcement from Tencent regarding the shut down of Call of Duty Online states that there will be a compensation event for Call of Duty Online players who transition over to CoD: Mobile, where they will be able to bind the accounts and receive a variety of rewards.
With CoD: Mobile having seen a great deal of success globally following its official release, it is not surprising to see Activision decide not to renew the Call of Duty Online licensing and instead push those players towards one of its main focuses in the franchise now in CoD: Mobile.
Tencent is also in charge of CoD: Mobile in China, so the growing popularity of the game in the region currently was likely to be one of the indicators that it is the perfect time for Activision and Tencent to stop support for Call of Duty Online and focus completely on CoD: Mobile.
Image Credits: Tencent
