Activision is taking a large punt at the Chinese audience, finally launching Call of Duty Online in the region after three years of work.

The free-to-play first-person shooter (FPS) is Activision's attempt to win over the 400 million gamers in China. Activision has partnered with Tencent Holdings for the launch of Call of Duty Online, promoting the FPS on Tencent's QQ network.

Like Us on Facebook

Call of Duty Online has been in beta-testing since September, with 1.5 million active players trying out the new title. It will now go live in the region, and Activision is anticipating over 20 million active players by the end of 2015.

This is a rather large goal to hit, but Activision has invested three years into the development of the online-only experience, making Call of Duty Online fit the Chinese gaming demographic with lower-resolution textures and a focus on simplistic fighting.

China's video game revenues surpassed $15 billion in 2014, the same level as Apple's total revenue for iOS sales in 2014, to put in perspective.

Activision will sell cosmetics on its online store for Call of Duty Online, but otherwise players will be able to test the game out for free in China. Most of the cosmetics will be available to gain through grinding the multiplayer, but less focused players can buy the upgrades.

Most of the popular online games in China are free-to-play, including League of Legends, DoTA 2 and Crossfire; the game Activision is competing with in China.

League of Legends is the most popular game in China with over 40 million active players in the region alone, and a dedicated e-sports scene with over three million viewers for large events. Tencent also owns part of League of Legends, putting it in a prime spot to run the largest MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) and FPS in 2015.

TagsCall of Duty Online, Tencent Games, Activision, PC