It's undeniable that Verdansk is injecting new vitality into Call of Duty: Warzone, and the timing couldn't be more perfect. The online community had previously branded Activision's now five-year-old battle royale as "cooked" before the nostalgia-infused Verdansk turned the tide. Now, the internet consensus is clear: Warzone is "back." Sure, Activision did nuke Verdansk, but that seems irrelevant now. Lapsed players, who cherish Warzone as their lockdown game, are flocking back to the iconic map that kickstarted it all. Meanwhile, loyalists who've stayed the course through the game's highs and lows over the past five years proclaim that Warzone is more enjoyable now than it has been since its explosive debut in 2020.
This return to fundamental gameplay was a calculated move by developers Raven and Beenox. Pete Actipis, the game director at Raven, and Etienne Pouliot, the creative director at Beenox, spearheaded the multi-studio effort to rejuvenate Warzone. In an extensive interview with IGN, the duo delved into their strategy, the triumph of Verdansk's Casual mode, and whether they contemplated restricting operator skins to mil-sim for a more authentic 2020 experience. They also addressed the burning question on everyone's mind: Is Verdansk here to stay?
Continue reading to uncover the answers.
