Call of Duty: Warzone sequel to be released next week Activision announced in a blog post yesterday that the original game will undergo some major changes when Warzone 2.0 (opens in new tab) is released.

First, the old game will be shut down for several weeks beginning November 16. Development resources will be primarily redirected to Warzone 2.0 to ensure that the "ecosystem is fully stable." After the holiday break, the old Warzone will return online on November 28 under a new name: Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera. While this rebranding appears to mark the unofficial "end" of continued support for Warzone 1.0, Activision is not leaving 1.0 untouched; Warzone Caldera's maps and modes will be minimal, and the game's new name will be "Warzone Caldera.

While it is an unusual step to temporarily exit and rename a game, I believe the driving force behind this is Activision's need to clearly communicate what the latest Warzone experience is. Overwatch 2 avoids this scenario by absorbing its ancestors (opens in new tab).

According to a blog post:

Apparently the new name "Warzone Caldera" should be taken literally: one map, one mode, no frills; when Activision exits the game, neither of the iconic Verdansk maps iterations are unplayable, especially since Caldera has failed to make a lasting impression on the community.

To make matters worse, Warzone's beloved small-scale maps Rebirth Island and the still-new Fortune's Keep will also be gone, and it is unclear if either will return. This is a bit of a shock. Having covered Warzone from afar over the past year, it is clear that a significant portion of the player base prefers the Rebirth Royale format with these smaller maps that are easier to respawn on. Activision seems to know this, too, and has asked fans of smaller maps to be patient until some indeterminate time in the future:

"To fans of smaller battle royale maps, we hope to see some exciting developments in Warzone 2.0 during the upcoming season. We look forward to seeing you there."

While Activision wants a clean transition from Warzone 1.0 to 2.0, the doomed state of Warzone Caldera doesn't sit right with me. If this is the last bastion of the old Warzone, why not leave it in the best possible place?" It seems more likely now that the opposite is true: Warzone will remain a shell of its former self, with mediocre maps and minimal options.

Worst case scenario is that Warzone 1.0 will somehow live on after a shinier version steals the spotlight. It's a lot better than its Call of Duty cousin, Overwatch. Blizzard chose violence at the launch of "Overwatch 2" and literally overwrote the original; let's hope Warzone Caldera doesn't do the same.