Call of Duty: Warzone, the free-to-play battle royale spin-off of Activision's blockbuster shooter franchise, maybe in danger of being shut down. The once-popular game, which attracted millions of players back when it launched in 2020, has reportedly been having problems retaining players.
As reported by Insider-Gaming, a prominent Call of Duty leaker has warned that "Warzone 3 won’t happen alongside Call of Duty 2026 if Verdansk’s revival fails to retain enough players."
Social media user @TheGhostOfHope shared a few details regarding 2026's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare IV, reporting things like no old-gen console support and a complete engine overall. But they also stated that there won't be a new Warzone if the launch of Verdansk fails to retain current players or attract new or returning players.
The revival of Verdansk, Call of Duty: Warzone's original map, was reportedly a last-ditch effort by Activision to attract players, similar to what Fortnite has been doing with its OG seasons. Verdansk's return is part of the launch of Season 3, which was previously due to arrive around March 20th. However, Activision just recently detailed the launch of Season 3 by two weeks. It will now go live on April 3rd.
"Season 3 is a big moment for Call of Duty: Warzone and Black Ops 6, and we're taking the time to deliver a great experience starting on 3rd April," Activision wrote in a post on social media. "More to come following Call of Duty: Warzone's fifth anniversary next week..."
Once a mighty juggernaut in the battle royale space, Warzone has struggled with things like network issues, rampant cheating, and lackluster updates. Call of Duty: Warzone is approaching its fifth anniversary on March 10th and the revival of Verdansk was just one of the ways Activision was planning to celebrate.
Hopefully, the developer has more planned because it sounds like this could be the last chance for Warzone to make an impression. It's worth noting that this rumor is seemingly only in reference to the "main" version of the mode on console and PC. There's no word of Warzone Mobile will be shut down.
Do you play Call of Duty: Warzone or have you hopped off the battle royale train?