As expected, the Asia-exclusive Call of Duty Online was just announced minutes ago by the country’s biggest online gaming and multimedia company, Tencent.
In the official press release, Tencent confirmed the strategic alliance formed with Activision, with quotes from Activison CEO Bobby Kotick and Tencent Founder Mr Ma Hua Teng talking about their excitement at this deal.
Call of Duty Online will be Tencent’s 7th online shooter currently in operation, including Crytek’s Warface.
Photos from the official media event launching Call of Duty Online, with Tencent’s Founder and CEO, Mr Ma Hua Teng 2nd from our left, beside Activison CEO, Mr Bobby Kotick on his right.
Financial details for the contract was not announced, but there are rumors it is the biggest ever in China’s MMO history. One could only guess why Mr Kotick seems to be the happiest.
According to reports, Mr Ma has not attended almost all the media conferences for his company’s new games for quite a few years, at least in a public capacity.
The deal with Activision is said to not just include Call of Duty Online, but with the upcoming Project Titan as well. Activision also announced the formation of its own studio in Shanghai to specially cater to Call of Duty Online.
Call of Duty Online will only be available in China now, with the game being Free to Play and specially tailored for the China market. Note that China has all along forbid sales of game consoles in the country, hence the China community could only play the PC versions (given that they know English).
No in-depth game details were stated, but expect more news to filter in as ChinaJoy 2012 inches closer.
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.
