Matt Lewis, Vice President of Product at Activision's mobile division, shared insights about the launch of Call of Duty: Mobile and the lessons the company learned from this experience.
Call of Duty: Mobile
Speaking at GDC 2025, Lewis recalled that initially, Activision attempted to enter the mobile market on its own. However, all attempts, including a premium game and the strategy battler Call of Duty: Heroes, ended in failure.
The company then turned its attention to the success of CrossFire Mobile in Asia and decided to collaborate with its creators from TiMi Studio Group (a Tencent subsidiary). During the development of Call of Duty: Mobile, PUBG Mobile (another shooter from Tencent) and Free Fire were performing exceptionally well in the mobile market. Activision drew numerous ideas from these projects.
"I proudly say — copy what works," stated Lewis. "I think we tend to love our own ideas, and that's fine. But if 80% of your roadmap consists of original ideas, you're doing something wrong."
At the launch of Call of Duty: Mobile, a significant portion of the marketing budget was allocated to user acquisition (UA). Activision also invested a considerable amount in promotion through influencers and LiveOps.
Lewis highlights that even after a successful release, it’s crucial to keep an eye on what competitors are doing: "Just don’t hold your nose too high, look around and see what’s working."
As a result, Call of Duty: Mobile became one of the most successful mobile shooters on the market. According to Activision, the project's revenue exceeded 3 billion dollars (as of June 2023).