Table of Contents
Changes are coming to Call of Duty. Warzone is getting a new Rebirth-style map, Fortune's Keep; Warzone 2 is on the way this year; and a new free-to-play CoD is coming in 2023. There are lots of reasons to be excited, but there are reasons to worry, too, as these new developments will inevitably divide the Call of Duty playerbase. So, in this article, we'll tell you everything you need to know about how Fortune's Keep, Warzone 2, and a free-to-play CoD will divide the playerbase.
Fortune's Keep
Warzone is getting a new map, Fortune's Keep, similar to the size of Rebirth, as in a smaller, faster-paced map than the mammoths that are Verdansk or Caldera. This will put Warzone's total map count up to 4 or even 5 if you consider Verdansk and Verdansk '84 to be different. This, of course, comes on top of the now three games worth of weaponry in the game.
Suffice it to say that, today, there's actually a lot of Warzone content out there. Sure, it's like you get access to all the maps anytime you want, but years later, Warzone is a pretty mature game, content-wise. And by now, people have invested not only their time into learning the maps and guns but also their money into weapon blueprints and operator skins.
Related: Is Treyarch Working on a Standalone Call of Duty: Zombies Game
With the upcoming release of Modern Warfare II coming alongside Warzone 2, with MWII's mechanics, engine, and gunplay also coming to Warzone 2, Modern Warfare II probably won't tie into Warzone like it will Warzone 2, and gamers will have to decide which era of Call of Duty to stick with: Warzone and the older CoD games or MWII and Warzone 2. Inevitably, the Call of Duty playerbase will be divided by this to some extent.
Warzone 2
Warzone 2 itself is going to present a major problem in the form of dividing the Call of Duty playerbase. Warzone 2 is coming to all the same platforms as the original Warzone, but your progress and, more importantly, your cosmetics you paid for are not going to transfer over to Warzone 2. They're not transferring over because Warzone isn't going anywhere.
Activision has commented that the original Warzone will continue to be available with the familiar skins and weapons, and inevitably, this means Warzone will keep getting updates, too, though it's unclear if new maps, major new events, and the like will continue for Warzone during the time of Warzone 2. So, players will very much so have to decide on whether to stick with Warzone or move to Warzone 2, as few will choose to play both.
Related: Everything We Know About Treyarch's Call of Duty 2024
Since Warzone 2 is expected to introduce major changes to the Warzone formula, Activision could be hedging its bets so to speak by choosing to sunset Warzone in any way and bringing Warzone 2 to all the same platforms so gamers can try it out and always have the option to go back to Warzone. Perhaps if Warzone 2 flops, Warzone will continue on business-as-usual.
Free-to-Play Call of Duty
On top of Warzone, Warzone 2, and Modern Warfare II all each dividing the Call of Duty playerbase, a whole new free-to-play CoD game is coming in 2023 courtesy of Treyarch. Depending on how big this game is, undoubtedly it will siphon off and further divide the Call of Duty playerbase. For many, Warzone is their main CoD game, and another massive free-to-play CoD game could see many more make it their main CoD game.
Plus, Modern Warfare II is set to bring back Ground War, a popular big map mode introduced in Modern Warfare (2019), but it's also going to introduce a major side mode, DMZ. DMZ is an Escape from Takrov-like mode where you load into a huge map, attempt to complete certain objectives, and extract. These will undoubtedly scratch the CoD battle royale itch for some.
Related: Why Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2 Coming to PS4/Xbox One Is Terrible News
If the free-to-play Call of Duty game coming in 2023 is, in fact, a standalone open-world CoD Zombies game, this too might attract the same fans of Warzone's open-world squad-based gameplay, further dividing the Call of Duty playerbase beyond the divisions inevitable from a new CoD game coming out. But that's not even the worst-case scenario, in terms of dividing the playerbase.
If free-to-play CoD in 2023 is the Call of Duty: Online gamers have always wanted that brings more traditional Call of Duty multiplayer to an ever-expanding live service with new maps, modes, and seasons that you don't have to wait a year to be updated or changed massively for, hopefully, good, then undoubtedly many CoD players will go to this new game and stay there.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!