Is Verdansk Coming Back to Warzone?

On the 9th of December, the Caldera map launched in Call of Duty: Warzone. It was also a date that will live on in infamy, with many players collectively branding the launch as an overwhelming failure. It was a rock-bottom moment for the popular battle royale title, and since then, the game has never returned to its previous levels of popularity or splendour. Today, we’re here to answer a very important question for the community: is Verdansk coming back to Warzone?

It was in March of 2020 that we first parachuted into Verdansk, amidst a desperate, global pandemic. By the millions, players came to know and love Verdansk over the next few months, treating it as a home away from home. While under a general lockdown, most of the world bonded within Verdansk, coming to love the battle royale, and for some, it sparked an entire career in content creation. However, the loss of the map was a huge blow to the general community, and since it disappeared, many players have never returned.

So, is Verdansk coming back to Warzone?

Will We Ever Land In Verdansk Again?

Image Credit: Call of Duty

Where are we landing? Shall we go to Prison, or Superstore? How about we fly over to Promenade, or just head straight to the Hospital?

These are the calls that were etched into our brains from thousands of hours of playing Call of Duty: Warzone. In December of 2021, when Verdansk’s doors were closed for good, the replacement map that was ushered in was the tropical environment of Caldera. Not only was this launch riddled with glitches, bugs, and instability, but it was also a barren, broken, and unenjoyable map in general.

It seemed that creators and top Call of Duty players abandoned Warzone overnight. Following an intense year of Warzone that included the Destruction of Verdansk Part 2 event which revitalised Verdansk, players were left wanting. In April of 2021, the Verdansk map was renewed, boasting a fresh yet retro aesthetic, and players were overjoyed to have a clean palette to explore. However, the total destruction and abandonment of Verdansk later that year would leave many players with a sour taste in their mouths.

And, according to the community, that sour taste persists even months later:

The Return of Verdansk

In April of 2022, a year after the launch of Verdansk 84, rumours began circulating regarding a potential Verdansk return. There were updates posted by the Activision developments teams in the form of interviews and discussions, and many revealing notes came out into the open air.

For instance, Raven Software, the lead development studio behind Warzone, stated that Verdansk will not return in 2022. Furthermore, the firm explained that the ‘current system cannot support map rotations’. Therefore, it stands to reason that even a limited-time event wouldn’t really be possible, as players would have to re-install Verdansk’s map, and then roll back to the Caldera map once the event was over – it just isn’t practical.

But, in a relatively loose statement made by an Activision employee in April, it was somewhat suggested that Verdansk will return in 2023. It was explained very briefly that the Verdansk map would return on ‘some platforms’ and that Warzone 2, due to launch in 2022, would receive ‘a huge new map’.

Verdansk will be returning to certain platforms next year from CODWarzone

With that in mind, we can only assume that the platform referred to in the above statement was the mobile platform. It would make sense for Verdansk to resurface in COD Mobile with the impending launch of Call of Duty: Warzone on mobile devices.

Would You Play on Verdansk Again?

As a Call of Duty: Warzone player that stopped enjoying the game when the Verdansk map was removed, I’m a firm advocate for the return of the map. If Activision and Raven Software reintroduced the Verdansk landscape, I would be more than happy to jump back into the game. In recent months, viewership for Call of Duty: Warzone has dropped dramatically, and several creators that owned the Warzone scene have moved on to other titles.

Warzone’s viewership has seen huge drops and a plateau in recent months. (Image Credit: TwitchTracker).

Some of the best Call of Duty streamers, such as Nickmercs, moved on to the likes of Apex Legends. While some, like Dr Disrespect, still revisit Warzone, it’s a few-and-far-between discussion, and their interest has been peaked by other, competing titles in the last few weeks and months.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Verdansk is coming back – at least, not for consoles and PC platforms. Later this year, Modern Warfare 2 is set to launch alongside Warzone 2, and it’s likely fans will once again be in debate as to whether or not they approve of the new map and the fresh experience. All over again, players will be trying to get better at Warzone.

For now, we keep the lock on Verdansk’s box, mourn the loss, and keep playing whatever it is that we’ve replaced Warzone with.