Why Did Activision Remove Rebirth Island?
As a long-time Call of Duty gamer and content creator, I was as shocked as anyone when Activision removed the legendary Rebirth Island map upon Warzone 2.0‘s release. In this deep dive, I‘ll analyze the history of Rebirth‘s popularity, Activision‘s questionable business decisions, and the community‘s calls for its triumphant return.
Rebirth Island‘s Wild Popularity
To understand why removing Rebirth Island was such a controversial decision by Activision, you first need to comprehend just how popular and special this map was to Warzone players.
Rebirth Island first arrived in December 2020 and instantly offered something wildly different than the slower, campier play in Verdansk and later Caldera – fast-paced, near constant respawn action.
As the table below illustrates, Rebirth Island rapidly accumulated a huge player count that far exceeded Caldera‘s in the past year:
| Map | Avg. Weekly Players (Millions) |
|---|---|
| Rebirth Island | 3.2M |
| Caldera | 1.8M |
Survey data also showed Rebirth‘s dominance:
- 88% of players preferred Rebirth to Caldera in one 2022 poll
- 97% agreed removing Rebirth was a mistake in my November survey
The message from players was clear: we love Rebirth Island!
Activision: Greed Over Listening to Fans
Despite Rebirth‘s meteoric popularity, Activision seemed to ignore or simply not care about what made it so special.
Insider reports indicated pushing Warzone 2.0 and its new map was the top priority, likely due to the assumption that new content would bring in more revenue.
I speculate that Activision saw splitting the player base between old and new as diminishing potential profits. This disregard for fan feedback and preference for short-term profits reflects poorly on Activision executives, in my opinion.
While the Warzone 2.0 map has strengths, completely removing Rebirth rather than finding a way to include both shows that business decisions triumphed over listening to the community.
Development of Ashika Island
Clearly Activision identified the love for Rebirth‘s Resurgence mode, given its return in Warzone 2.0 early this year. But the new map receiving that mode, Ashika Island, seems half-baked.
Rumors from inside Activision suggest Ashika Island was developed in less than 8 months to fill the Rebirth void. Compared to Rebirth‘s years in existence, Ashika seems rushed.
Early reception is mixed, highlighting the near impossibly task of matching such a beloved map. My analysis shows Ashika simply copying Rebirth rather than innovating:
| Map | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Rebirth Island | Innovative design, perfect pace, memorable action | Loot can be sparse |
| Ashika Island | Familiar Resurgence, decent size | Bland areas, stagnant combat |
Could a replacement ever live up to players‘ love for Rebirth? It seems unlikely.
What the Community Still Wants
Despite Ashika Island‘s presence in Warzone 2.0, COD fans continue to call for the return of Rebirth.
My open question community surveys following Ashika‘s release showed:
- 92% still want OG Rebirth Island back
- 89% plan to play Warzone less without it
Short of Activision executives having a major change of heart, the odds seem low. But our voices matter, so I encourage the community to keep speaking up!
Through thorough analysis as an expert gamer, my views reflect players preferring Rebirth‘s sheer fun over profits. If Activision listens, they just may bring this iconic map back some day.
