Developer Raven Software released one last major update for Call of Duty: Warzone. Following this update, the popular battle royale shooter will be replaced a second version, currently dubbed Warzone 2.0, that will release in November, shortly after October’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (different from 2009’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2).
Warzone having a 2.0 is notable, since fellow battle royale contemporaries such as PUBG or Apex Legends haven’t released new versions. That said, the developers have previously been open about the struggles in the game’s technical hurdles. Since it and all future Call of Duty games will be using the engine for Modern Warfare 2019, this was perhaps needed.
The original Warzone released in 2020 as a free-to-play extension of Infinity Ward’s 2019 reboot of the first Modern Warfare. It quickly caught on with players, amassing 100 million players over a year after launch. Its continued popularity also resulted in various non-Call of Duty developers, such as Crash 4’s Toys for Bob, being converted into support studios.
Like the original Warzone, its updated version will be playable on last-generation consoles. Versions for iOS and Android, which were first revealed back in March, are also in development.
Activision first announced Warzone 2.0 in June. Unlike with Overwatch 2, this update of the original game won’t be carrying over player progression or in-game items. All players will have to start from the ground up.
Currently, it’s unclear if Warzone 1.0 will remain playable after the release of Warzone 2.0. Again, to go back to Overwatch, Blizzard is notably shutting down the original 2016 game just a few days before its sequel releases. Though Call of Duty games remain playable for some years after release, a large battle royale client remains new territory for Activision Blizzard.