Is Rebirth Island Gone Permanently?

In short – yes, Rebirth Island as we know it seems to have met its definitive end in Warzone. But all hope is not lost for the return of successor maps focused on high intensity respawn action.

As a Warzone devotee who relished countless hours of white-knuckle fights on Rebirth‘s confined grounds, I‘ve dug into everything we know so far about the island map‘s demise and possible spiritual resurrection.

Why Players Were So Passionate About Rebirth Island

As one Reddit user who claimed to play Rebirth Island exclusively put it:

"It was nonstop fun. Constant fighting, good players always there looking for action too. Getting the boys together for a few hours of teamwork, laughs, and dubs just hit different."

I couldn‘t agree more. With an area of only 0.6km squared compared to over 9km squared on Fortune‘s Keep, Rebirth delivered relentless run-and-gun gameplay you couldn‘t find elsewhere:

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It‘s no surprise then that even as Verdansk and Caldera‘s player count dwindled, over 30% of total Warzone players stuck to Rebirth through early 2022.

But besides the map design, players formed a strong attachment because mastering Rebirth‘s four key zones felt akin to learning the intricate halls of your own home. Familiar callouts echoed between squadmates who could navigate the island blindfolded after hundreds of respawns: "Prison roof!"…"HQ stairs!"…"Control sniper!"

With Rebirth‘s removal just before Warzone 2.0‘s launch on November 16th, 2022, this home was suddenly demolished, evoking a community-wide sense of disbelief and grief.

Developer Statements Leave Little Room For Hope

Unfortunately, Activision developers have clearly stated that direct ports of the original Warzone maps will not be supported in the new engine.

As Infinity Ward‘s Creative Director Pat Kelly definitively told TheLoadout:

"You cannot take those maps from the old build and port them to the new one. They have to be rebuilt from the ground up."

This echoes the messaging around the original Verdansk map, which also did not migrate over from the original Modern Warfare.

So hopes for some surprise reveal of a remastered Rebirth Island seem misplaced. However, Kelly did add this tantalizing bit:

"We have plans to build dedicated play spaces that I think the community is going to love…it’s going to deliver on that (Rebirth) fantasy that we all love."

Leaked Concept Art Stoking Anticipation of Spiritual Successor

Notable Call of Duty leaker RealityUK recently shared images described as early concept art for a map called Ashika Island.

While details remain scant, RealityUK claims Ashika drew inspiration from Rebirth Island and will focus on respawn modes.

Some visual comparisons between leaked images and Rebirth Island suggest loosely similar coastal industrial theming. RealityUK also mentioned a mix of interiors and open areas conducive to close quarters run-and-gun action.

Could this smaller map built for Warzone 2.0 from scratch provide the spiritual successor diehard Rebirth Island fans crave?

The Outlook On a Resurgence For Rebirth Gameplay

Ashika Island or otherwise, near unanimous enthusiasm about Rebirth Island shows demand for a next generation fast-paced respawn map.

Early rumors point to Season 3 in April 2023 as a likely return for the fan favorite resurgence mode. This also tracks with RealityUK‘s leaks claiming Ashika Island plans are "full steam ahead" for early 2023.

As someone who loved the unique high risk, high reward style only Rebirth enabled, I hope developers recognize the ingredients that made it special: diverse flanking paths, verticality supporting aggressiveness, and areas promoting recurrent bottlenecks.

A spiritual successor embracing Rebirth‘s essence could thrive. But failing to adapt the design to Warzone 2.0‘s mechanics risks losing longtime players if matches devolve into repetitive slaughterfests.

Ultimately, Rebirth Island is permanently laid to rest, with Virtual Plasco Prison and its surrounding areas now a phantom zone we‘ll only revisit in memories and YouTube highlight reels.

Yet the tight bonds formed through hours battling squads in confined quarters leave an imprint on this community. Perhaps that collective passion has sculpted a monument to Rebirth‘s impact, inspiring Actvision builders to carve warzones worthy of honouring its legacy.

I know my usual squad, forged from Rebirth firefights, eagerly awaits the next trial grounds where we might forge new triumphant tales together.