Call of Duty Goes to China

[MarkHC]

Activision, partnering with Chinese game company Tencent, is launching a free-to-play Call of Duty shooter in the Chinese market, the companies revealed this morning. "Call of Duty Online" is the name, but beyond that little is known – the image above is from the game's teaser site, and the site contains no information other than a giant countdown clock. While consoles are banned in China, the microtransaction-based model on PC is widespread throughout China. Activision first mentioned the free-to-play, microtransaction-based game back in February 2011. Activision also mentioned that this game is in development for over two years...

Answering a question during an investor conference call, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick called the game "specific for the Chinese audiences," and clarified, "The product that we announced today is being developed just for China." Kotick added, "That's not to say it might not have applicability elsewhere, but what we're doing right now is focused on China."

"We believe Call of Duty Online will attract tens of millions of loyal fans in China, and our game platform and operational expertise to run massive multiplayer online games can provide strong support to deliver the immersive and highly interactive game experience to game players in China.", says Martin Lau, Tencent's president.

Late last month, Activision snatched up a slew of Call of Duty related web addresses—17 in total. The websites are probably protecting the Call of Duty online presence in China from internet bad guys.
Tencent apparently has the "exclusive license" to run Call of Duty Online in China, and Bobby Kotick is "very excited" about the game's prospects.

Announcement Trailer


We'll probably have more information soon..

General Shepherd
CoD News Team

Sources:
joystiq.com
Game Informer

[EpicCockMuncherNo1]

Your Faster then me Bro any way Good Job

[Larity2056]

I don't really get the trailer... /Nevermind, Why would they do this? They only lose money trough this

[Nachos]

Some FAQ Activision has posted:

Q. What is Call of Duty™ Online?

A. Call of Duty™ Online is a new free to play micro transaction game in development by Activision Publishing for release in China by Tencent. Activision is developing all of the content for the game. Tencent will be responsible for publishing, marketing, distribution and all operations related to running the game on their online platform.

Q. What kind of game is Call of Duty Online?

A. Call of Duty Online is a free to play micro transaction first person action game. Call of Duty Online will showcase the traditional features and play-modes of Call of Duty® with localized, unique content tailored to the needs and interest of gamers in China.

Q. Who is developing Call of Duty Online?

A. The talented development team at Activision Shanghai is working closely with Raven Software to develop Call of Duty Online for release in China.

Q. When will Call of Duty Online be released?

A. A launch date for release in China has not been announced yet.

And the official press release: Activision Blizzard And Tencent Announce Long-Term Strategic Relationship To Bring Call of Duty Online To China

[rquao]

The trailer pretty much just showed MW2 :S

[silah]

I don't really get the trailer.

[R3Dx666†]

looks better than bo 2

[Larity2056]

looks better than bo 2

Serious? This is still the old Engine

[R3Dx666†]

Serious? This is still the old Engine

ye i said looks better than black ops 2 ?

[Larity2056]

ye i said looks better than black ops 2 ?

No, I mean Black Ops 2 looks way better than this. This uses the old MW2 engine

[unicorn69]

While consoles are banned in China, the microtransaction-based model on PC is widespread throughout China. Activision first mentioned the free-to-play, microtransaction-based game back in February 2011. Activision also mentioned that this game is in development for over two years...

Uh...........

[richardthecao]

hope it isnt one of those free to play models

[KravvD]

Yeah. :] .

[mike2y]

f2p :P D: not in NA

[Moshos9]

That's so fucking gay, looks exactly like MW2 just with new maps and different gun sounds. Fucking activision, make something actually original like Call of duty 4.