Candy Crush creator King will bring the next Call of Duty game to mobile devices.
The Swedish developer describes the project as the “career opportunity of a lifetime,” and says its challenge is to transform the franchise’s console experience that fans know and love.
Several Call of Duty games already reached Android and iOS. While they certainly proved enjoyable, they never really delivered the experience that fans of the console version expect. They’re not the addictive, fast-paced, action-packed first-person shooters we’re used to.
That’s not necessarily the fault of the game developers, or of publisher Activision Blizzard. It’s incredibly difficult to deliver an enjoyable FPS game for a touchscreen device with no physical buttons, triggers or analog sticks.
It’s not yet clear whether King will attempt to re-create the FPS experience or take Call of Duty in a new direction, much as The Blast Furnace did with Call of Duty: Strike Team, which combines FPS combat with real-time strategy.
However, King promises it will “strive to transform the best console experience fans know and love, while also breaking new ground for mobile and redefining the genre.”
“Our approach and ambition is to be fresh, social, and highly accessible, while providing a very authentic game experience,” the company says, describing its Call of Duty mission. “The team will prototype extensively, have the freedom to think outside the box, and be encouraged to stretch their expertise in ways to create surprising results.”
There’s no word on when the next Call of Duty game for mobile will become available. King says it is in “discover mode” right now, in which it iterates rapidly, plays daily builds, discusses the merits of various tweaks, and asks questions on where to go and what to do next.
“We’re a lean pack of developers, designers, and artists, with a shared goal and shared understanding of what we’re striving to build: a transformative and awesome Call of Duty experience on mobile that fans will want to play for years,” the company concludes.
