Despite the huge amounts of success that theCall of Dutyfranchise has enjoyed over decades, the core way that the series operates has changed drastically in recent years. With the advent of theCall of Duty:Warzonesub-franchise, which is the IP’s foray into the world of battle royale shooters, a lot of developer attention has been placed on post-launch content forWarzoneover more traditional multiplayer.
Prior to this,Call of Dutymultiplayer was entirely staged within the annual mainline installments of the franchise, but core multiplayer modes have fallen in post-launch importance with the success ofCall of Duty:Warzone. While it is to be expected that the scale ofWarzonewill draw some attention away from coreCoDmultiplayer, the fact that this core multiplayer is a paid-for online experience makes the lesser care that it is receiving all the more controversial.
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The Success of Call of Duty: Warzone
The battle royale genre has exploded in popularity in recent years, with the likes ofFortniteandApex Legendsbeing some of the most recognizable and lucrative titles in the entire gaming industry. Given the already existing player base and high appeal of theCall of DutyIP, it seemed inevitable that the franchise would extend itself into the battle royale space.
This came with the release of the originalWarzonein 2020, which released off the back of the massive hype surrounding 2019’sModern Warfare, and additionally may have benefited from a mass captive audience thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. The originalWarzonehad amassed over 85 million playersas soon as December 2020, giving some context as to just how popular and successful the title was for the franchise. With its free-to-play nature and seasonal battle pass system, the title additionally proved to be extremely lucrative for Activision, and the recent release ofWarzone 2further reinforces the massive focus thatWZhas on the currentCoDcycle.
The Prioritization of Warzone Over Paid Multiplayer Modes
The current framework ofCall of Dutymultiplayer now appears to be split betweenthe free-to-playWarzone 2and the paid premium multiplayer ofModern Warfare 2. The premium core multiplayer provides the classicCoDmultiplayer experience of combat within small high-octane arenas, whileWarzone 2maintains the expansive battle royale focus of its predecessor.
Despite the greater amount of overallCall of Dutycontent that this fosters, many fans are voicing their concerns atWarzone 2seemingly taking priority over the life cycle ofModern Warfare 2’spaid multiplayer. This is evident in the huge amount of content that is already slated to be added toWarzone 2; for instance, it’s set toreceive a mode inspired byRocket Leaguein the near future. With new expansive maps already rumored to come soon forWarzone 2, as well as continual support for the title’s ambitious DMZ mode, there are huge plans aroundWarzone 2that many believe to be detrimental forMW2’sbase multiplayer.
Compared toWarzone 2,MW2’smultiplayer is receiving a much smaller amount of content. Fans currently only haverumors of oldCall of Dutymaps and operators returning to the gameto look forward to. Of course, the huge scope of appeal, availability, and success of theWarzonefranchise makes these recent delegations of content somewhat understandable, but serious concerns can be raised regarding a need for moreMW2content. When considering the $70 price-tag to accessModern Warfare 2’smultiplayer when compared to the free nature ofWarzone 2, having less support for paying players is a worrying precedent for theCall of Dutyfranchise to set.
Call of Duty Warzone 2is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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