Looking back at the comments I made in my Hands On piece for Call of Duty: Warzone, which is celebrating its one-year anniversary today, is a strange experience. While I thought what Infinity Ward had to offer at the time was all good in itself, I was concerned about the overt simplicity and lack of focus on looting in the early game of each match. I then signed that piece by claiming “this is not a Battle Royale offering we can see ourselves clinging to.” Except I’m still playing it a year later – more than ever in recent months, in fact. The game has already helped me get through a drought of the PlayStation 5 release period, and I’m sure it will happen again in the future. What has changed in the last 12 months to keep me coming back for more? Strangely enough, not much. That core loop has stayed the same, but there’s so much more around it.
I’ve always been a fan of the battle royale genre, with the Blackout mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 kickstarting my obsession before Fortnite and Apex Legends also put their moments in the spotlight. I like the thrill that comes with shrinking the player base in the game to just one person or team – it’s way more exciting than the usual Team Deathmatch options in Call of Duty titles in my opinion. You could end someone’s game in seconds, while another team could do the exact same thing to you. Call of Duty: Warzone continued this strong point with a few twists on the concept, but it was nothing Which dramatically different. To be fair it is not to this day either.
What, then, has gotten me so entranced by Call of Duty’s opinion? To be honest, it is difficult to determine one thing. The excellent firefight is an essential part of any product with the Activision branding on it, so I like to focus on the staggering amount of content added in the year since its launch. I almost always feel like there’s something new for me to experience, whether it’s through a new mode that runs weekly or through the massive free DLC drops that bring new weapons and map updates into the equation. I’ve actually got to a point where I rarely play the original Verdansk map these days, with the updated Rebirth Island to suit my taste, as I can respawn after a short while thanks to the exclusive Resurgence modes.
Then there’s the weapon meta, which feels like a whole different game in its own right. It’s challenging to keep up with what’s hot right now, as so many weapons have become viable after the death of the DMR 14, so much so that the gear variety is unprecedented. That meant that I had to say goodbye to the now obsolete Kilo 141, but I have found a new home in the combination FFAR 1 and Mac-10. That could all change in a week’s time when a streamer comes across a new meta, and that’s the beauty of it all. It’s almost like the community is creating its own content by shifting the idea of what’s best in a new direction. Those weapons and attachments were always there, of course, but they get a whole new life when someone strikes gold with the right combination of pistol extensions.
I don’t have a big revelation because Call of Duty: Warzone is celebrating its first anniversary, except it’s well worth trying if you’ve ever had a clue about the battle royale genre. My obsession these days is when I have nothing else to play, struggling to get to the top of the leaderboard over and over again and feed myself through countless nights. I also don’t have to pay any money to play as Call of Duty: Warzone is free to play and I have little interest in the cosmetic items the Battle Passes have to offer. So looking back at my first impressions one more year ago, I got at least one thing right a year ago. “Call of Duty: Warzone will probably do itself just fine.” It fared better than that – it is now the standard for future Battle Royale titles. I’ll raise a glass to that tonight.
Do you play a lot of Call of Duty: Warzone? What did you think of the Battle Royale shooter? Share your thoughts in the comments below.