Losing momentum after more than three years of total domination, Call of Duty Warzone is getting a little polish with the upcoming arrival of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0. The Battle Royale promises many new features that we detail below.
[Mis à jour le 10 juin 2022 à 14h04] After an hour and a half conference and a trailer plus a gameplay sequence at the Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live, the future of the Call of Duty license is becoming more and more clear. We were able to learn more about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Activision’s annual release, but also about Warzone 2.0, the brand new Battle Royale that will accompany it. It is indeed difficult to miss the game that has had the most impact over the past three years, dominating the genre thanks to its gigantic playerbase and its perfecting of the service game. Except that for a few months, Warzone has suffered the blow, struggling to stem the bleeding of players which is tainting its statistics (more than 60 million fewer announced in recent weeks). The game deserves a little refresh, and Warzone 2.0 could well take care of it.
What’s new in Warzone 2.0?
It was during a recent presentation of more than 1h30 that we were able to learn more about Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0. Modern Warfare 2 will be the sequel to 2019’s Modern Warfare and will be accompanied shortly after its release by an all-new Battle Royale: Warzone 2.0. Yes, because the Battle Royale should cut ties with its predecessor, and integrate all new mechanics and features specific to the new Modern Warfare 2. In addition, it is Infinity Ward which replaces Raven Software Games at the controls of this future Battle Royale, and the studio has already listed some of its biggest gameplay innovations:
New moves: the success of Apex Legends may have made Infinity Ward think about this, but the studio has chosen to integrate new movement possibilities into Warzone 2.0. Operators will have the opportunity to dive, to hang on a ledge, while pulling of course.
New Gadgets: a tactical camera, a wall-piercing charge, a decoy, an electromagnetic bomb… If you imagine it, Warzone 2.0 will have it. Infinity Ward did not hesitate to present us with some of the new gadgets that will punctuate the gameplay of its future Battle Royale, and we hope that there will be enough to compete with the eternal heart sensor.
Underwater combat: if a wet toe was fatal in Warzone, Warzone 2.0 intends to incorporate underwater combat into its formula. Operators will therefore be able to swim underwater at different depths, and even shoot. The ballistics of the bullets will of course be influenced by the resistance of the water.
Revamped vehicles: vehicles are a huge part of Warzone, and Infinity Ward intends to capitalize on that. The studio claims to have improved the possibilities of interaction with vehicles, allowing the player to climb on the roof or shoot from a window. Tires may also be destroyed and repaired.
Of course, these different additions will allow Warzone 2.0 to offer us new “sandbox” moments. The new movement possibilities offer different options for approaching a fight, and give the player the feeling of freedom that made Warzone so successful in its early days. Between new gadgets, vehicle interactions, underwater combat, Warzone 2.0 could well find this little grain of madness and unexpectedness that served its predecessor so much. Failing to offer incredible graphic innovations (which is good news for older generation consoles and more modest PCs) Warzone 2.0 seems well on its way to reconquering the kingdom of Battle Royale.
Unified graphics engine
Warzone is three years of success for as many different Call of Duty titles. Between Modern Warfare (2019), Cold War (2020) and Vanguard (2021) there is a huge technical difference, in particular due to the difference in the graphics engine. At the same time, Warzone had to adapt to the integration of the assets of these three games and their graphics engine, sometimes going through long periods of technical difficulties, and suffering from a discontinuity in terms of gameplay elements. It is true that combining Modern Warfare, Cold War and World War II can make the game confusing, technically and spiritually. However, the good news is that Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare 2 will share the same graphics engine, which will then be adapted to the next titles of the license.
New starting point
Who says new Warzone also says new starting point for all players. Infinity Ward has insisted that it wants to offer “innovative gameplay” to its players, an intention made possible by the new technical features of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. Warzone 2.0 will therefore be strictly speaking a new Battle Royale, with a new progression system and more advanced gameplay than its predecessor. It will therefore not be able to integrate all the content of Warzone, which means a return to zero for everyone. Good news for neophytes, less good news for veterans who will no longer see the fruits of their relentless progress in the game over the past three years. From a Battle Royale perspective, a fresh start is pretty good. It’s hard not to consider the first months of a new title of this genre as the best of its existence, where skill-based matchmaking does not suffer too many balancing problems, and where the multitude of new players creates lobbies pleasant and balanced.
What release date for Warzone 2.0?
Activison and Infinity Ward have been very clear on the release date of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which will be available on October 28, but less so on that of Warzone 2.0. Discussions have indicated a later release than the main game, for a period that could range from a few weeks to several months. Given the current context and the still palpable influence of the coronavirus pandemic on the environment, we are rather expecting a launch in early 2023. Of course, Warzone 2.0 will be released on all the platforms on which Modern Warfare 2 will be released, that is to say on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series.