Call of Duty Online comes to China via Activision, Tencent agreement

Activision today revealed a partnership with major Chinese Internet company Tencent, that will see a version of its popular Call of Duty series released exclusively in China. Call of Duty Online will be a free-to-play title specifically designed for the Chinese market, with game modes taken from past Call of Duty titles, plus a new mode tailored for the Chinese audience. The game has been in development for more than two years said Activision, and will be monetized through the sale of in-game items, offering personalization that has not yet been seen in a Call of Duty game. Tencent president Martin Lau described the move as a "strategic relationship" between Tencent and Activision, noting that the company hopes to attract tens of millions of Chinese players to the series. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said that China is "one of the most exciting places in the world for us to grow our business and to develop innovative new games." The Chinese giant currently accounts for a third of all Chinese online games revenue, making it a perfect fit for the Call of Duty series, which itself has seen significally impressive numbers. This is the latest move by Tencent to sign up with more Western game companies. Earlier this month it acquired a minority stake in Gears Of War and Unreal Engine creator Epic Games, while last year it bought a majority stake in Riot Games.