Warzone Urzikstan map is another attempt to recapture the Warzone 1 golden era

06 October 2023 , 10:30

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The new Warzone map has some intentional similarities to Warzone 1's Verdansk (Image: Activision)

Activision gave the grand unveiling of the new Warzone map at COD Next, and Urzikstan is set to release alongside Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 this December.

Warzone's latest map, Urzikstan, was confirmed by Activision at yesterdays COD Next 2023 event, alongside a reveal trailer showing off the ins and outs of the latest Call Of Duty battle royale map. Ahead of the reveal, fans were speculating that the new Warzone map would be evoking the beloved Verdansk from Call Of Duty: Warzone 1 (which shut down last month ). Eagle-eyed players like @JGODYT on Twitter noticed a glimpse of the new map in the COD Next 2023 trailer, and noted the similarities to Verdansk, which turned out to be precisely what Activision was going for.

The new Warzone map features a number of elements similar to the classic map, with a heavy emphasis on urban areas and tall buildings, and a military base looking suspiciously like the one in Verdansk.

The Warzone Urzikstan trailer features a flyover of the new POI's, but we actually got a brief look at it earlier in the event, as it was revealed that Modern Warfare 3's Zombies mode will take place on the exact same map. We then got to watch the content creators at the event in-person play on the map for the first time. Even from the small glimpse we got you can feel the Verdansk inspiration shining through.

The new Warzone Urzikstan map will be arriving in-game this December alongside Modern Warfare 3 Season 1.

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Back to the well

Not to be a negative Nancy, but it feels like Activision is so unsure about Call of Duty at the moment that it chases trends instead of going hard on something unique. For example, the Warzone has been slowly transforming into a Fortnite-style game by bringing in a number of crossover skins, like Spawn, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg, and characters from The Boys (complete with superpowers).

Warzone's star has fallen quite a bit since the release of Modern Warfare 2 – with many players preferring the original Warzone – and now it's trying to recapture the Verdansk magic with Urzikstan. Not to mention every map in Modern Warfare 3 being remastered from the fan-favourite Modern Warfare 2 (2009).

Hopefully this map is good enough to bring the game back to its former glory, but if it doesn't work, perhaps its time for Activision to try something drastic with Warzone.

Scott McCrae