Five-year anniversary: "Call of Duty: Warzone" brings back original map Verdansk
In "Call of Duty: Warzone", you will soon be able to shoot around the original Verdansk map again. The nostalgic trip to the original war zone starts in April.
The battle royale shooter "Call of Duty: Warzone" is celebrating its fifth anniversary. The free-to-play game was released on 10 March 2020 and enjoyed huge success, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. To celebrate the anniversary, Activision is bringing back the original map from five years ago: Verdansk.
In the newly released teaser trailer, the publisher also reveals when "Warzone" fans can throw themselves into the nostalgic shooting game. Verdansk returns together with the start of Season 3 on 3 April.
In the video, you can see how many soldiers are happy to be back in the original warzone. Bullets fly, cars explode, helicopters crash - one warrior even has a tear rolling down his cheek with joy. All of this happens in an epic slow-motion montage, accompanied by the nostalgic jazz classic "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole. Marvellous.
Verdansk has changed a lot since the launch of "Call of Duty: Warzone" with new gameplay elements and locations on the map - including a "Verdansk '84" retro version. With the launch of Season 1 of "Call of Duty Vanguard" (December 2021), Verdansk was replaced by a new map (Caldera) - a change that angered many fans.
According to Activision, the neue old Verdansk map will offer "familiar terrain" in April, but will still surprise with "new updates".
A return to old form with nostalgia?
Since the launch of "Call of Duty: Warzone", over 125 million players have played the game. Despite the initial hype, the shooter has been increasingly criticised by fans over the last five years. In addition to a lack of exciting new content, the numerous cheaters are a particular thorn in the side of fans.
Despite the introduction of the "Ricochet" anti-cheat system in December 2021 and numerous waves of bans, the cheating problem continued to escalate. "Warzone soldiers had to deal with aimbots, wall hacks and strange cheats such as flying cars and boats. The major "Warzone 2.0" update in November 2022 with accompanying changes to "Ricochet" brought a brief improvement. In 2024, the problem escalated completely again with new cheats.
Youtuber Big Puffin summarises the history of cheating in "Warzone":
The "Warzone" community is reacting cautiously to the return of Verdansk - the cheaters will not vanish into thin air with the new update.
Many "Warzone" fans from the very beginning not only want the map to return, but also the simpler game mechanics and controls that made the game so popular in 2020.
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Domagoj Belancic
Senior Editor
Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.chMy love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
