It's fair to say that Verdansk is injecting fresh energy into Call of Duty: Warzone at just the right moment. Previously, the internet had written off Activision's five-year-old battle royale as "cooked," but the nostalgia-laden return of Verdansk has turned the tide. Now, the online community is proclaiming that Warzone is "back." Yes, Activision did indeed nuke Verdansk in the past, but that seems irrelevant now. Lapsed players, who remember Warzone as their go-to lockdown game, are flocking back to the map that kickstarted the phenomenon, while dedicated players who have stayed with the game through its ups and downs over the past five years are claiming it's more enjoyable now than it has been since its explosive launch in 2020.
This return to fundamental gameplay was a strategic choice by developers Raven and Beenox. Pete Actipis, the game director at Raven, and Etienne Pouliot, the creative director at Beenox, spearheaded the multi-studio project to revive Warzone. In an in-depth interview with IGN, the duo delve into their approach, the triumph of Verdansk's Casual mode, whether they contemplated restricting operator skins to mil-sim for a more authentic 2020 vibe, and address the burning question on everyone's mind: is Verdansk here to stay?
Continue reading to uncover their insights.
