The originalCall of Duty: Warzoneplayed a huge driving role in the wider franchise’s recent success. For instance, despite recently being replaced by its 2022 successor, the original still commands a consistent and loyal playerbase.
With that being said, news recently broke that the originalCall of Duty: Warzonewill be shutting down its servers indefinitely in the near future. While this understandably rocks the community of the title, fans can take some respite by turning to an underappreciatedCall of Dutytitle that may easily take the baton of the firstWarzone’s legacy.
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Call of Duty: Warzone’s Shutdown
It was recently announced that the originalCall of Duty: Warzonewill be shutting down for good on September 21. This news came shortly after the announcement that the newerWarzonewould be dropping the2.0from its title, with the latest release clearly being slated to completely replace its predecessor.
2022’sWarzonedid well to bring the franchise to its next step and to gel with the newerModern Warfare 2, yet many fans have chosen to continue playing the original 2020 title. Either through not having any interest in the newer game or simply preferring the mechanics and feel of the original, thesunset ofWarzone’s servers is going to leave a lot of players in the dark.
The primary shock behindWarzone’s shutdown comes from the recency of its latest iteration, withthe Caldera map ofWarzonebeing billed as a “new era” for the game in late 2021. This is a sharp contrast to the impending shutdown of the release, leaving players, as well as their progress and paid-for in-game items, stranded. With many fans being unsure of where to go next and perhaps feeling slighted at being forced to move to the more recent title, there is a hidden gem within theCall of DutyIP that can pick up the slack.
Call of Duty: Warzone and Blackout
Keen fans of theCall of Dutyfranchise will be aware ofBlackout, which was the IP’s first foray into the world of battle royale shooters.The mode came alongside 2018’sBlack Ops 4, with the controversially multiplayer-only title filling the gap of a campaign with one ofCall of Duty’s most ambitious new modes at the time.
Blackoutis fondly remembered by many fans of the franchise, with the mode laying most of the groundwork for what would becomeWarzone.Blackoutplays to the usual framework of the battle royale genre, with its standard solo, duo, and quad playlists holding up to 88 players as standard.Blackoutalso features a single massive map which, likeWarzone, is home to a range of locations that are inspired by some of the mosticonic maps of theCall of Duty: Black Opsfranchise.
Of course,Blackoutpossesses the same movement and engine asBlack Ops 4, being purposefully built for multiplayer gameplay. The title offers a much more classic and fast-paced feel toCoDgameplay, being a stark contrast from the often alleged sluggish gameplay of the latestWarzoneinstallment. Despite being five years old,Blackoutstill possesses a loyal playerbase much in the same way that the originalWarzonedid. WithWarzone’s playerbase being forced to move to a different title in September, a return toBlackoutcould be the perfect transitionary title that players will need.
Call of Duty: Warzoneis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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