Familiar Faces, Maps, and Modes Coming to ‘Call of Duty Mobile’

By Liz Lanier

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Activision detailed the user interface, newly announced modes and maps, and returning characters that will be in the upcoming “: Mobile” ahead of its beta via a blog post on Friday.

First, let’s take a look at the UI in the upcoming free to play game.

The main menu screen shows the player’s character, and this is where players can customize their experience. Settings key for the gameplay experience are here– in particular, the choice of simple mode or advanced mode. Basically, the simple mode offers a streamlined gameplay experience for mobile, in that it automatically fires a weapon when focused in on an enemy.

The advanced mode allows for manual fire, which is a bit trickier on a mobile game. But, players can customize the experience further by choosing how to hold weapons, meaning they could choose to fire from the hip for certain weapons, for example, or aim down sight. There are also 17 sliders for adjusting weapon aiming sensitivity.

The HUD (heads up display) is also customizable, so players can move different functions around their screen as they choose and make the best use of the smaller space of a mobile game. There are also some set “team phrases” to choose from to quickly communicate with teammates.

As for the gameplay itself, some modes coming to the mobile game were announced which can support up to 8 or 10 players, according to the original post :

• Free-For-All: “The classic every-player-for-themselves deathmatch.”
• Frontline: “After spawning at a team base, defeat players on the opposing team.”
• Team Deathmatch: “The classic defeat-players-on-the-opposing-team mode.”
• Hardpoint: “Capture and hold the hardpoint to earn points.”
• Domination: ‘Capture and hold the designated positions to gain points.”

We previously heard about the maps Nuketown, Crash, and Hijacked. More multiplayer maps were announced Friday which offer up a range of different terrains and challenges:

• Crossfire: A small desert town full of “cramped and confined structures” which means players might need to pull out their shotguns for close-range combat.
• Standoff: This map is set between China and Kyrgyzstan, and those who played “Call of Duty: Black Ops III” might know it as Outlaw, which is accessible to a variety of gameplay styles.
• Crash: A “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” map full of shelled out buildings in a desert town
• Killhouse: A warehouse interior which is ideal for small teams and constant action.
• Firing Range: A “military practice facility” that’s a reworking of a “Call of Duty: Black Ops 4” that’s described as “classic and chaotic.”

When the upcoming beta was announced in March , we learned that players will get to choose their character from familiar faces of past “Call of Duty” games. Now, we’ve got the specifics of who to expect:

• Alex Mason from “Call of Duty: Black Ops” games.
• David “Section” Mason from “Call of Duty: Black Ops II.”
• Thomas A. Merrick from “Call of Duty: Ghosts.”
• Simon “Ghost” Riley of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.”
• John “Soap” MacTavish from “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” games.
• John Price of the “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” games.

We don’t have an exact date for the beta, but the first limited-scale closed beta began this week in India, according to the post with a regional beta test coming soon to Australia. More territories will get to join in on the fun “in the coming months.”

Pre-registration for the “Call of Duty: Mobile” beta is available here . Even more modes— and not just multiplayer modes— will be detailed at a later date.