Call of Duty: Warzone 2has done well to reignite both the hype and discourse surrounding Activision’s ambitious battle royale franchise. The 2022 title has done a lot to create its own identity, but still maintains a lot of the core framework from how its predecessor operated. That gives players a decent idea for what to expect in the long-term.
One of the most overt changes that came withCall of Duty: Warzone 2is its brand-new core playlist map. Known as Al Mazrah, this map was well-received for its size and the diversity of its locations. Still, the franchise’s past actions indicate that this map will eventually be replaced by another. While the specifics of what the battle royale’s next map will entail are up to conjecture at this point, fans can look to how the originalWarzonehandled a change in map to ascertain when and howWarzone 2will approach its own change.
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Call of Duty: Warzone’s Change From Verdansk to Caldera
Verdansk was the original map featured in 2020’sWarzone, set within theCall of Dutyfranchise’s fictional country of Kastovia. Beyond serving as the main map inWarzone, Verdansk was also the setting ofModern Warfare’sSpecial Operation missions, as well as large-scale multiplayer modes.
Warzonelaunched with Verdansk as its only map, and like with many other battle royales, Verdansk underwent changes and iterations over the course ofWarzone’s life, often being tied to seasonal updates and the launch of new entries in the wider series. For example, the original version of Verdansk was phased out inApril 2021 with the Destruction of Verdansk in-game event, which saw the map leveled by a nuclear bomb. Following this, a stylized 80s-themed version of called Verdansk 1984 hit the game. This map lasted for several months until the launch ofCall of Duty Vanguard’sSeason One in December 2021, which saw Verdansk permanently replaced by a Pacific-set map called Caldera.
Warzone 2’s Al Mazrah Could Be Replaced Later Rather than Sooner
Al Mazrah is similar to Verdansk in that it is a major city within a fictional country that’s tied to the core narrative of theModern Warfarereboot. While fans are currently enjoying the diverse map, it is more than likely going to be replaced at some point in the near-future. However, unlike the originalModern WarfareandWarzone,Modern Warfare 2andWarzone 2are set for an unprecedented two-year stint as the franchise’s only mainline release. WhileSledgehammer Games is expected to be spearheading some form of expansion forModern Warfare 2in 2023, the release will not be as thematically diverse as one might have expected going fromModern WarfaretoVanguard.
This means the new map forWarzone 2may not be jarringly different from Al Mazrah, but it could still come in a similar timeframe as Caldera replacing Verdansk. Verdansk was officially cycled out 21 months after launch, meaning Al Mazrah could be replaced around July 2024. Al Mazrah will likely undergo a comprehensive amount of changes leading up to this point, possibly introducing newiterations akin to Verdansk’s 1984 settinguntil it is entirely replaced. While it is unknown what kind of map will replace Al Mazrah, fans should still have time to enjoy the experience before the map is potentially replaced.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2is currently available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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