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Call of Duty's bringing more battle royale action to Android with Warzone
And Activision is actively hiring for the game
Activision has announced its plans to create a new large-scale Call of Duty game for mobile. Much like Call of Duty Mobile, this upcoming game is also a battle royale title, though this time around, the entire focus is on battle royale gameplay, and that's because this upcoming game is will exist as a native mobile interpretation of Call of Duty: Warzone. What's crazy is that Activision has announced the game in tandem with announcing that the company is looking to hire people to work on the title (and there's a laundry list of positions), which means the mobile version of Call of Duty: Warzone is nowhere even close to ready, so it would seem zero lessons were learned from Blizzard (a subsidiary of Activision) announcing Diablo Immortal several years too early.
Microsoft announces plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion
Potentially placing Microsoft as the third-largest gaming company behind Sony and Tencent
At this point, it's no secret that Activision Blizzard has been entangled in a seemingly never-ending series of trouble, ranging from a state lawsuit derived from employee misconduct and abuses to the CEO hiding the number of firings as part of the fallout of the company's widespread misconduct. And this doesn't even touch upon Blizzard's screw-ups, like the cringe-worthy announcement for Diablo Immortal (still not out four years later) or the absolute failure of Warcraft III: Reforged. This is where Microsoft sweeps in with a buyout offer for Activision Blizzard, and it's a whopping $68.7 billion all-cash offer, outclassing Microsoft's purchase of ZeniMax Media by almost 60 billion (to put things into perspective). So far, it sounds like the acquisition will go through, which will make Microsoft the third-largest gaming company behind Sony and Tencent.
It's no secret that Diablo Immortal wasn't well-received when Blizzard announced the game in 2018. While we got a wonderful meme out of the fiasco, I'm sure this wasn't Blizzard's intention. And so years passed until we heard about the game again, and it honestly didn't look all that bad, plus Blizzard was incredibly upfront about the plans for the game's systems, including its monetization, a surprising move. This is how we know Blizzard is flirting with a P2W system where you can pay money for a chance at better rewards, though this is mostly shoved off to the late game, resulting in an early gameplay experience that feels similar to the core series. So from what we know on the possible cusp of the game's release, I'm wondering how our readers feel about the impending launch, whether or not they will play the game once it's out, which is precisely what this article is all about.
Diablo Immortal gets a fresh hint at official launch date
An earnings call suggests the game is on track for release this year
Activision Blizzard recently held an earnings call. During this call, the COO Daniel Alegre stated that Diablo Immortal "is on track for global release later this year," which is the first time Blizzard has mentioned an actual release date for the game. Up until this call, all we knew is that the title had entered into its second alpha, which I took for a spin and came away reasonably impressed. So it's looking like Diablo Immortal could be released soon, and after such a long wait (it was announced in 2018), I'm sure there are a few Diablo fans out there that are eager to get their hands on the game.
I got into the Diablo Immortal closed alpha — here's an hour of gameplay
So far the game is pretty good
Earlier this week Diablo Immortal entered into a closed alpha test in Australia, and I've managed to gain access to this alpha and so I've recorded an hour-long gameplay video at 1080p/60FPS so everyone can see how it currently plays. This video shows off all of the selectable characters, the game's settings, and offers plenty of gameplay as the Crusader. While Blizzard is adamant that Diablo Immortal is still a work in progress, since the current alpha is limited to Australia I figured those around the rest of the world might want to see how development is moving forward.
Diablo Immortal's closed alpha is getting a big update, but you probably still can't join the fun
Don't you have Australian phones?
Blizzard has announced that the latest alpha test for Diablo Immortal is underway. Much like the technical alpha that launched back in December, this new closed alpha is available primarily to those that live in Australia. Keep in mind this is a limited alpha, so only a select number of people will be able to get in. As expected, this limited alpha signals that development is continuing forward, especially now that there is some end-game content available along with new zones, dungeons, and a raised level cap.
An official Call of Duty: Mobile account on Reddit has revealed that a significant update is coming to the game later today. It's slated to arrive at 21:00 PST, and this update will include controller support, a new zombie mode, and new maps. A new Battle Pass is also coming, but it won't arrive until November 25th. Back when I covered the release of Call of Duty: Mobile in October, I was delighted with the shooter, though the missing controller support was a sticking point. Thankfully Activision has been listening to its fans, so the announcement for today's update is indeed very welcome news.
Back in March Activision and Tencent officially announced Call of Duty: Mobile at the 2019 Game Developers Conference, and in the middle of last month we learned that the mobile shooter would be officially released on the Google Play Store on October 1st, which means the game is now available on Android. As expected, this is a free-to-play release. In-app purchases, loot boxes, and a premium pass are included, not to mention a plethora of cosmetic items and an expensive in-game currency. Still, the amount of nostalgia offered in the title is hard to ignore, and the gameplay luckily holds up, which is why the game is definitely worth a look.
Activision and Tencent have teamed up to bring Call of Duty: Mobile to the West as a free-to-play release. The shooter was recently announced during a Unity keynote at the 2019 Game Developers Conference. This upcoming release is expected to bring together fan-favorite maps, modes, weapons, and characters from across the Call of Duty franchise, and it's currently available for pre-registration on the Google Play Store.
I'm not a gamer, but even I knew that Call of Duty coming to mobile is big news. Big enough to have people trying to find ways to play it even before it's officially released, and scammers using the opportunity to prey on those who aren't knowledgeable or perceptive enough. And today we have the first signs of the latter: a scam listing for Call of Duty: Mobile has surfaced on the Play Store and it costs a — hold your breath — whopping $32. Yeah... no.
Skylanders Ring of Heroes is a new free-to-play team-based gacha RPG that was just launched on the Google Play Store, all thanks to a partnership between Activision and Com2uS. Much of the game's inspiration comes from Summoners War, another gacha RPG from Com2uS. Of course, Skylanders Ring of Heroes brings along its own set of heroes that stem from the Skylanders universe as well as an original story that fleshes out its hero-collection gameplay.
Say what you will of Activision's Call of Duty series, one thing is for sure: it is hands down the most popular first-person shooter in existence today. It's thanks to this popularity that a stand-alone app such as the Call of Duty Companion App can exist. It serves as a 24/7 connection to all things Call of Duty, which means you can instantly analyze your performance, receive tailored recommendations, stay on top of the latest news, and most importantly, keep track of your friends so that you always know when they are online.
Merry Christmas everyone! This jolly message comes to you courtesy of your beloved Activision Publishing developer who has decided to grab a few bucks from your stockings because you've been a bad kid this year and you deserve to be punished for liking Zombie games and causing virtual mayhem.
You might know Activision Blizzard as the mega-publisher behind huge franchises like World of Warcraft and Call of Duty. And you might know King as the mobile publisher behind Candy Crush Saga, the Bejeweled clone that's inexplicably become one of the most popular casual games on the planet. In a few months the two companies will be one and the same: Activision Blizzard has announced its intention to acquire King for a staggering $5.9 billion.
Activision's Geometry Wars series is one of the more popular casual shooters ever developed and really needs little introduction. Instead of writing something tiresome, I'll just let you watch the trailer for the newest entry in the franchise, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions.
Hey, Call of Duty fans: do you want to experience the fast-paced military shooter action, breathless multiplayer competition, and facepalm-worthy single-player campaigns of your favorite console franchise on your mobile device? Well too bad, here's Clash of Clans with some guns and tanks.
Update: We've checked out the Play Store page on various AP writers' accounts, and apparently the game is now marked as incompatible with everything, including the hardware listed in the description. At this point I'm guessing that the Android app was published prematurely, and this will change on the multi-platform release date for Trap Team, which is October 5th in the United States.
Do you really like cereal? I mean, a lot? Then Activision has the game for you with Pitfall! Krave. It's a 3D endless runner type game that comes with a totally egregious Kellogg's tie-in. It's free, though, and they're giving away real cash money.
Cabela's Big Game Hunter series has made the jump to Android, and while it may not come with a giant white and orange plastic rifle, it will still let you shoot down forest critters until your heart's content. For the uninitiated, Big Game Hunter is a casual hunting simulator. You won't be fending off hordes of blood-thirsty monsters here, though some of the animals you come across won't take kindly to your creeping around in their neck of the woods.
In case you haven't seen Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, the local news, or the latest rabble-rousing speech from your ineffectual Congressman, today is the yearly release of Activision's Call of Duty franchise. Kudos to the publisher: they've managed to get the Android companion app published on day one, so half the male college students in the country can spend today's lecture time customizing their multiplayer loadout.