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With the gaming world constantly changing and evolving, the Call of Duty franchise has come a long way since its first game in 2003. Their take on the ultimate battle royale experience, Warzone, was released in 2020 and took the community by storm after its release.
Call of Duty's jump into the mobile gaming sphere is nothing new, with Call of Duty: Mobile achieving tremendous success in a short span of time. While Warzone is constantly thriving and the gaming behemoth is trying to expand their universe, the next generation of the franchise is here.
The game that the community adored during the COVID-19 pandemic is coming to mobile devices for the first time. With multiple new features, cross-progression, and the fan-favorite map of Verdansk, the next era of Call of Duty looks rather promising.
I recently got an invitation from Call of Duty to engage in a conversation with the Head of Mobile at Activision, Chris Plummer. From him, we got to learn a lot about the publisher's future ventures, their ideas behind creating a mobile game for the community, and more details about how Warzone Mobile will work in the near future.
Chris Plummer on Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, Verdansk map, cross-progression and more
Q: Warzone Mobile is coming, and with that, the fan-favourite Verdansk is also making a return. How hard was it to port a map like Verdansk into mobiles? What kind of changes can we expect in the mobile version of the game?
Chris: One of the reasons that we were able to deliver a map like this in this type of ambition is because Call of Duty Warzone Mobile is on the same advanced shared technology that Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 were developed on. So, a shared technology base enables a lot of really interesting advantages, including access to content, optimization, gameplay systems, and content pipelines that make maps like Verdansk and future maps possible.
For people who are familiar with this map, our goal is to create an experience that is both familiar and authentic while being ideal for mobile players. If you see any changes in the map, that would only be an optimized experience for mobile players.
Q: Coming back to the maps, you just mentioned that future maps that will be arriving for mobile devices. Warzone has Resurgence maps like Rebirth Island and Fortune's Keep. What are Activision's future plans behind adding maps like these to Warzone Mobile?
Chris: Right now, we are super excited to be able to bring the Warzone Mobile battle royale experience to players around the world for the first time and that's our focus. We promise to have a lot of capabilities to evolve what we are delivering over time. We are going to be interested in whatever is best for the players and our content will be based on that.
Q: You've mentioned that Warzone 2, Modern Warfare 2, and Warzone Mobile will share the same technology. Features like slide cancelations or Gunsmith systems are very popular amongst fans. Will the new Gunsmith system or the movement mechanism for Warzone Mobile be the same as the other two titles?
Chris: I think that's an excellent question. A lot of the details of our gameplay and these systems are still to come. We haven't announced all of it yet. You need to stay tuned to our official Warzone Mobile social media channels for updates.
If you look at the gameplay we have at the NEXT event and as we continue to roll out new details about Call of Duty Warzone Mobile, you'll find a lot of familiar sights, sounds, systems, and finishing touches that make Call of Duty awesome. The new advanced shared technology is the best in the history of the franchise.
Q. Warzone Mobile, Modern Warfare 2, and Warzone 2 will share a cross-progression system. Bringing mobile gaming into the same ecosystem as PC/console gaming is a big step in itself. Do you think this cross-progression will help build the shape of the franchise in the future?
Chris: The most important thing for us is that we think people's time is precious. Now, when you're playing a Call of Duty game across any platform, your time is going to be well spent. We are honoring that time.
If you are investing in a Battle Pass and you go onto another platform, that content will be there. As we've talked to players while developing the game, this seems to be the type of thing that is important for people who play on multiple platforms.
Q. Call of Duty: Mobile is already thriving and is undoubtedly one of the most popular mobile games worldwide. Do you think the launch of Warzone Mobile will affect Call of Duty: Mobile's popularity on a large scale? Call of Duty: Mobile already has a battle royale mode, will it be able to survive after the release of Warzone Mobile?
Chris: We are going to be fortunate to have such a great slate of incredible mobile titles. Call of Duty: Mobile has been an incredible success and we believe that it's going to continue to do the same. There is plenty of room for another major hit in this genre. Obviously, Warzone gameplay has never arrived on mobile devices before. This will be the debut of the Warzone experience. We are bringing unprecedented real player counts.
We are really trying to push the envelope and do things that are unique and different for Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile. Warzone Mobile will have 120 human players and not just bots. We are trying to create something different and unique with a best-in-class experience. We are proud to have multiple projects at the same time and want to see both of them thriving.
Q. Warzone was a very graphically demanding game from the very start. Bringing that massive scale into mobile devices, how will current hardware handle the game and will we get higher FPS modes in the future?
Chris: We haven't revealed our minimum specifications yet. That will be forthcoming. As we continue to develop, we are very confident that we will be able to support a massive slate of devices.
Q. For the past few years, the battle royale genre has taken over the mobile gaming world. Games like PUBG Mobile, Apex Legends Mobile and even CoD mobile itself have a place in the community. Keeping that in mind, what is Warzone Mobile doing differently and what will be its place in the mobile gaming community?
Chris: We know that players that enjoy the genre want the best game possible. They really care about how the controls feel, how the combat feels, and how the game flows.
These are the types of things that Call of Duty does better than anything. We are quite confident that people will be able to play Warzone Mobile and feel the difference in Call of Duty. It has been the number one game on other platforms year after year. We are super excited to be able to bring that level of control, authenticity, and attention to detail into mobile devices.
We already have a very successful mobile game in the franchise. Now, we just want to take that to the next level and go even deeper with a more connected experience.
Q. India and South East Asia have had a knack for mobile gaming from the beginning. The esports scenario for mobile gaming is also pretty important here. Do you think Warzone Mobile will be the face of Call of Duty for esports in these countries?
Chris: I think that's an awesome question. We clearly learned through Call of Duty: Mobile and its success around the world that there is a level of appeal for mobile gaming across the world. This is different from Console and PC, because people consume games differently in parts of the world.
When we think about Warzone Mobile, we care about the global audience very much. As much as we have a traditional region where Call of Duty is always strong, Warzone Mobile is an opportunity for us and something that we are very serious about.
Esports is a very high potential area for a game like this. We haven't made any announcements on that yet, but again, with the shared platform and enhanced technology, it gives us the opportunity to go big in some of these areas.
Q. Before signing off, what do you have to say to the audience in India who would like to try Warzone Mobile out?
Chris: The entire Call of Duty team and Call of Duty: Mobile team are super proud of their audience in India. They have been big supporters and big players of our mobile games.
There is a ton of excitement in that audience. We are super proud to have such a great following there and we want to do your audience justice and make sure that they feel valued. We're pretty confident that we'll be able to do that.
