Soon You Can Only Play This Call Of Duty Game On Mobile

China has a complicated relationship with battle royale games, called "chicken eating games" by Chinese players. The Chinese government may not approve of violent battle royale games, but consumers want them nonetheless, and developers have found ways around the government's strict rules. "Call of Duty Online" was created in partnership with Tencent, a Chinese developer familiar with government regulations, and marketed to Chinese gamers. Now, "Call of Duty Online" will be shutting down, urging players to begin playing "Call of Duty: Mobile" instead.

Daniel Ahmad, a senior analyst at Niko Partners who frequently covers video game analytics, took to Twitter to explain that "Call of Duty Online" was relatively successful since its launch in 2015, but declining profits and a bigger focus on mobile games has led to "Call of Duty Online" servers shutting down forever. 

The official "Call of Duty Online" website confirms Ahmad's tweet, explaining the timeline of shutting down servers and blocking new registrants. After the game is taken offline, user data, including all benefits earned, will be wiped from the system, erasing everyone's game simultaneously. However, there's an incentive for players wishing to continue playing "Call of Duty" in a different way.

According to the official "Call of Duty Online" website, players can connect their "Call of Duty Online" accounts to "Call of Duty Mobile" in order to receive gifts for their dedication and time over the years. There are seven tiers of gifts, each corresponding to length of play and status within the game. Players who want to claim their reward must take part in an event within the game, so the system can assess their status. Then, they can claim their tiered rewards. There's no secrecy as to what the rewards are. "Call of Duty Online" lists them on its website.

"Call of Duty: Mobile" released in 2019 and had a staggering number of players in its first month. Now, it will likely gain more players as "Call of Duty Online" players make the shift to a different platform. "Call of Duty: Mobile" may not reach the heights of, say, "Call of Duty Warzone," but it will allow players who have stuck with "Call of Duty Online" to continue to grow their characters while staying loyal to the "Call of Duty" franchise. Sometimes, that's all fans can ask for, a chance to keep fighting on.

"Call of Duty: Mobile" boasts console-quality graphics and exciting gameplay, all for the low price of free (via Activision). Of course, there are many microtransactions games should be ashamed of for offering, and "Call of Duty: Mobile" is no exception.