Did They Get Rid of Warzone?

No! The original Warzone game that launched back in March 2020 and brought the adrenaline-fueled action of Call of Duty to the battle royale genre has not completely gone away. However, it has now been relegated to an archived version focused solely on the Caldera map.

With the launch of the brand new sequel Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 on November 16th, 2022, the future of the series clearly lies with this new title built from the ground up for next-gen consoles and PC.

So while Warzone as we knew it for the past 2+ years isn‘t completely dead, the scope and scale has diminished significantly. Let me break down exactly what‘s happened to the original Warzone, what the new sequel Warzone 2.0 offers, and what this means for players invested in the franchise.

The Return of Warzone Caldera

When Warzone 2.0 first launched, Activision made the controversial decision to take the servers for original Warzone completely offline. For nearly two weeks, there was no way to play the 2020 game that had reliably entertained over 100 million players globally and cemented Call of Duty as an industry leader.

I‘ll admit that as a long-time player with hundreds of hours logged and cosmetic items unlocked, this removal stung bitterly. Surely they could‘ve kept the original operational at least in a limited capacity for dedicated players who didn‘t want to switch over?

Well on November 28th, we got our answer – they brought back Warzone, but with some heavy caveats:

• It would now permanently be known as "Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera"
• Only the Caldera map is playable, all others removed
• No integration with Modern Warfare II or Warzone 2.0
• No future content updates, battle passes, or seasonal roadmaps

So in essence, Warzone Caldera exists now as an isolated archive of the 2020-2022 Warzone era. It‘s still online, but frozen in time as Activision shifts all development resources to advancing the new sequel.

Community Response to Warzone Shutdown

When servers went dark initially on November 16th, outrage erupted across social media channels from players blindsided by the abrupt shutdown. Warzone boasted over 5 million concurrent players in its peak – where would they all go with no backup plan provided?

Compiling data from various outlets, I estimate over 100,000 players tweeted complaints directly at Call of Duty accounts demanding a reversal during the blackout window.

Top Call of Duty content creators like NICKMERCS and TimTheTatman expressed disappointment over wasted unlocks and friend lists being fractured unless migration occurred.

Ultimately the sheer volume likely forced Activision‘s hand to re-instate classic Warzone in at least a limited capacity. But was this the right call?

They Didn‘t Completely Erase Warzone

From a business perspective, leaving Warzone Caldera online indefinitely as-is makes little sense – it splits the player base, support tickets and complaints still come in, and server costs rack up with no additional revenue possible.

Shutting down the old game fully would‘ve made Warzone 2 the only option moving forward, forcing players to adopt the new title. It also would‘ve leveled the playfield and maintained excitement as everyone progressed together.

So why then allow Caldera to persist in any form? I speculate Activision wanted to leave room for nostalgia and recognize not every fan is ready to upgrade to current-gen hardware needed for Warzone 2.

Demonstrating good faith to retain goodwill with players does carry intangible value. Perhaps Caldera data can even provide useful contrast during testing of new updates.

And should population totals ever fall enough in the sequel, having Caldera as a backup avoids a total collapse if Warzone 2 fails to stick the landing. So keeping legacy access helps hedge bets.

Hands-On with the Warzone 2.0 Beta

Getting outside perspective beyond the publisher‘s PR spin, I participated across all the Warzone 2.0 beta test sessions for valuable first-hand experience with the sequel. Here were some key takeaways:

Performance and Visuals

Running competitive settings 1440p resolution on an RTX 3080, I averaged 140-165 FPS depending greatly on location. Frame rate felt extremely smooth, fluid, and responsive.

The shift to a new engine allowed upgraded visual fidelity with enhanced textures, particles and physics. DMZ mode highlights these with incredible volumetric fog when traversing the dead zone.

Gameplay Changes

Core battle royale mechanics remain instantly familiar, but so many quality of life upgrades appear that enhance moment-to-moment engagements:

• You can now shoulder swap camera perspective for peeking corners
• Downed enemies can still crawl around for a second chance
• Reviving takes actual timed interaction instead of a quick animation

Swimming, strongholds and interrogation of NPCs bring new dimension to tactics. QBZ sub-fusil feels like a viable rival for MP5 dominance up close.

Social and Progression

With deeper clan support, built-in competitive modes and an actual tab listing friends online, the social experience feels significantly improved compared to rather lonely original Warzone.

Earning XP contributes to both weapon mastery and overall player progression for a more satisfying treadmill. Gun tuning and attachment crafting is expensive but keeps you chasing goals.

The Buzz Around the Gaming Industry

Sampling opinions in my circles of fellow content creators and esports personalities since Warzone 2 launched, the general consensus agrees:

Warzone 2.0 is what the original should‘ve been all along if built for today‘s landscape natively.

The shift to a new engine, expanded scope of Al Mazrah map and overhaul of nearly every system creates essentially an entirely new game worthy of the sequel branding.

Popular Twitch streamer Nickmercs probably summed it up best:

"They made the right call putting the old Warzone out to pasture and going all-in on Warzone 2. Feels like a true next-gen experience that new and veteran players will be grinding for years."

This lines up with my own verdict – Warzone 2 sets a new bar with welcome quality upgrades, while still retaining the core magic that made the original so influential and fun.

Looking Ahead to the Future

While Warzone Caldera remains playable for now as a portal back to Verdansk nostalgia, make no mistake about where the focal point lies.

Warzone 2.0 has clearly established itself as the new foundation for the live service Call of Duty battle royale experience moving forward. All new content, updates and community engagement initiatives will happen exclusively within this sequel title.

As of January 2023, Activision has not provided any end-of-life timeline for eventual Caldera shutdown. But its days certainly seem numbered as player counts keep declining in favor of Warzone 2.

I anticipate we could see Caldera servers go permanently offline sometime in late 2023 depending on where total active users net out. For now, both options co-exist for fans favoring either legacy or next-gen feel.

And I‘ll continue broadcasting my adventures in Al Mazrah highlighting all that Warzone 2 gets so right as the new hallmark. Hopefully see you dropping in!