My friend and I recently resumed playing Call of Duty Warzone after a three-month break. We returned to a completely overhauled experience. The game was reset with the new release of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. New maps were introduced, and all our previous weapon customizations were erased. Despite running on the same engine, the game introduced new features and weapons. Warzone remains free, but the new game, complete with multiplayer and campaign modes, is separate and carries a hefty price tag of $70.00 USD. If you choose to purchase the game, you’ll have two separate games on your console: Warzone and Call of Duty MWIII. This poses a problem for most casual players, as each version consumes a significant amount of console storage.

This isn’t the first time this issue has arisen. In 2020, considered the golden age of Warzone, the game ran on the Modern Warfare 2019 game engine. The public fell in love with the game, as the gaming community had been yearning for a good Call of Duty game after disappointments like Advanced Warfare and Black Ops 4. With the rising popularity of free battle royales, Warzone was COD’s response. Following the success of Warzone, COD released Cold War, a title that initially confused many. Given the popularity of their already established game, COD decided to incorporate the new guns from the Cold War into the original Warzone, bridging the gap between player bases. The plan was a resounding success as the community was excited to use new guns while retaining the mechanics and old weapons from the game they loved. Fast forward to now, Call of Duty is repeating what they did years ago, but the game has lost its notoriety since then.

The new game features the same game engine, but this time it introduces new mechanics, which may deter players who were accustomed to the original Warzone experience. However, with improved movement, the game feels smoother than before. While many players will adapt to the new Warzone, COD will likely face backlash following another controversial release.