Call of Duty Mobile ‘may add separate lobbies’ for controller play

Call of Duty Mobile’s brief controller support was a test for “a portion” of live players, Activision has said.

Prior to the title’s official launch on Tuesday, Call of Duty Mobile controller support was included in the iOS and Android game’s settings, leading many to believe it would be available upon release.

However, according to a post on the Activision Support Twitter account, the feature was disabled during an update coinciding with the game’s launch window.

Starting with iOS 13, iPadOS 13, tvOS 13, and macOS Catalina, Apple hardware supports PlayStation and Xbox wireless game controllers.

In a new interview published on Thursday, Activision’s VP of mobile Chris Plummer suggested the removal was due to balance concerns between players using a mobile phone touch screen to play.

However, the executive said controller support may be reactivated in the future in the form of separate game lobbies.

He told Hypebeast: “In terms of peripherals, we are looking at the possibility and have already been testing controller support with a portion of our live audience.

“It is very important to us that we maintain fair balance across the game.”

He added: “One example of this is we have separate lobbies in Battle Royale for first-person perspective and third-person perspective players since you have the option to choose either in Battle Royale. We may implement a similar solution for players using controllers if needed.”

Update November 22: Activision will launch Call of Duty Mobile controller support and the game’s Zombies mode on November 22.

Original story continues: Call of Duty: Mobile released on Tuesday in all countries where the App Store and Google Play are supported with the exceptions of mainland China, Vietnam and Belgium.

Developed by Tencent’s Timi studio, the game brings together maps, modes, weapons and characters from across the Call of Duty franchise, including the Black Ops and Modern Warfare series.

Call of Duty: Mobile is playable on PC via Android emulator GameLoop, which offers mouse and keyboard controls plus “exclusive key mapping”.

Update, October 4: Call of Duty Mobile has been downloaded over 35 million times across iOS and Android devices, according to publisher Activision.