Gaming News

Call Of Duty Online Launches Open Beta In China

Already one of the biggest franchises in the video game industry, Call of Duty is above to show whether it can take control of the world’s largest gaming market: China.

After more than three years of development, Call of Duty Online is now open for public beta testing in China. The game is a version of the wildly popular first-person shooter designed specifically for a Chinese audience, according to the Boston Herald.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Eric Hirshberg” author_title=”Activision Publishing CEO”]

Millions of gamers in the West have come to appreciate that white-knuckled, epic thrill-ride that only Call of Duty delivers. And now an entire new audience of gamers will experience this for the first time. We believe Call of Duty Online is going to be a game-changer for Chinese gamers.

[/quote]

Call of Duty takes a new form in China as a free-to-play game, and its success or failure will have major implications for other franchises that have long been unavailable legally in the country.

The Chinese government only recently began relaxing regulations over video games, with console makers Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo now allow to sell consoles in China. Until now, video game companies like Activision have been largely focused on getting their games into Internet cafes in China, although the growing availability of high-speed internet in homes has opened the way for the online version of Call of Duty.

Some of the changes in the game are tonal, as well as cultural differences like the amount of violence displayed in the game. The biggest difference is the gameplay, as Call of Duty online will be free-to-play. The popular game mode in which players fight zombie soldiers has also been transformed into one with cyborgs due to China’s view of the undead. Players will be able to spend real money to buy and rent in-game items, according to Gamespot.

The new venture is arguably the greatest challenge Activision has ever taken, although it has the potential to pay off big. China has more than 368 million video game players, which is more than the entire population of the United States, according to TIME.

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