The launch of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is rapidly approaching, but the release of this battle royale shooter won't bring an end to the original Call of Duty: Warzone. Released back in 2020 as a free-to-play tie-in to 2019's Modern Warfare, Warzone lets up to 150 players drop into a massive map and fight to be the last soldier standing. Warzone also tied into subsequent Call of Duty titles like Black Ops Cold War and Vanguard, helping the experience stay relevant over multiple CoD generations. While the Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 will evolve the battle royale formula, the original game will not be rendered obsolete.
As detailed on the release of Call of Duty: Warzone 2 will coincide with the start of Modern Warfare 2 Season 1 on November 16, 2022. The new free-to-play battle royale experience is expected to go live around 10am Pacific Time, with players able to preload the game as early as 10am PT on November 14. Players will immediately be able to drop into the game's massive Al Mazrah map to engage in intense firefights, form custom loadouts, explore a new Gulag and jump behind the wheel of various new vehicles. Call of Duty: Warzone 2 will also include the new DMZ game mode at launch, which promises to deliver a more grounded and realistic combat experience. While these changes may sound great, fans of the first Warzone will thankfully still have access to the classic battle royale title.
The Original Call Of Duty: Warzone Will Be Renamed & Relaunched
Following the launch of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, Activision will rename and update Call of Duty: Warzone and relaunch it as a standalone experience. In order to make way for its successor, the original game's servers will go offline around 8am Pacific Time on November 16. Warzone will be down for nearly two weeks to ensure the sequel's smooth release, but the title will be relaunched at approximately 10am PT on November 28. The original Call of Duty: Warzone will be officially renamed Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera at this time, in order to differentiate the two experiences and reflect the first game's World War 2-era island map.
When it returns on November 28, Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera and its successor will be totally separate experiences. Progress in Warzone won't transfer to Warzone 2, but Warzone Caldera players will still have access to all of the equipment they earned in the first game. New content added to Warzone 2 won't be available in Warzone Caldera, likewise, but the older shooter will contain a standard Battle Playlist and will receive new content in the future. Warzone Caldera won't have an in-game store, either, and the Rebirth Island and Fortune’s Keep maps will no longer be available.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is making some exciting changes to the battle royale formula, but some fans will no doubt prefer the original Warzone and its lush Caldera map. While the last major Call of Duty: Warzone update dropped back in September, the classic multiplayer title will still be available to play under a new name after a brief period of downtime. Once Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera and Warzone 2.0 are both active fans will have access to two free-to-play battle royale titles instead of one.
Source: Call of Duty Blog
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