Call of Duty: Warzone is celebrating its 5-year anniversary this month. Below, we examine how it has developed over that time, and look to its plans for the future with insights from key developers.
Call of Duty: Warzone launched on March 10, 2020, delivering a streamlined, fast-paced, and arcade-style battle-royale experience. Warzone’s arrival felt perfectly timed, as it was released during the start of the pandemic with a free-to-play model that allowed everyone to squad up and socially distance. Warzone has continued to evolve (and sometimes devolve) over the years, so with the celebration of the game’s recent fifth anniversary, this feels like a great time to trot down memory lane, discuss Warzone’s current slump, and look toward the future of Call of Duty’s battle royale.
In addition to my own reminiscing, I was also able to speak with Warzone developers across Call of Duty’s various studios, including Pete Actipis–the game director for Raven Software–and Etienne Pouliot, who is the creative director for Beenox. The developers provided insight on some of Warzone’s biggest events and discussed the future of the battle royale. Mark Grigsby, the co-studio head of Infinity Ward, also shared some thoughts on the evolution of Warzone.