Call of Duty: Warzone's overhaul detailed — can it compete with Battlefield 6's imminent battle royale?

While fans are eagerly awaiting the November 14 drop of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, it's fair to say that excitement for its battle royale compatriot, Warzone, has tempered in recent times.

There was a definite spike when the OG map, Verdansk, came back to Warzone, but on the whole, players are starting to feel burned out, the content is lacking, and the cheaters have been exhausting.

Ahead of a new year, the studio responsible for Warzone, Raven Software, has released an overview of the plans currently in the works. It sounds like a lot, but with the much rumored Battlefield 6 battle royale potentially arriving in a matter of days, will it matter?

Sweeping changes to the entire game

You can read the full article over on X, but I'll attempt to break out the more interesting parts.

First up, it appears no stone will be left unturned. Both Battle Royale and Resurgence will be given attention, with the former receiving a map rotation feature from early 2026. Raven states:

"While it wasn’t previously realistic for us to host multiple large maps, we’ve since taken the steps necessary to support it. This won’t be a launch feature with Black Ops 7, but it’s a key addition slated for early next year."

That doesn't account for the fact that some of the big maps in Warzone aren't exactly fan favorites, but variety can't hurt. PUBG, for example, has been able to support multiple maps for some time, and it definitely adds a little to the grind when it's not the same old over and over again.

Resurgence, the respawn-friendly mode, is also in line for some big changes. The current map, Rebirth Island is, as Raven says itself, "stale." That's being kind. I think it's mind-numbingly boring, and its ranked mode is the most miserable thing I've played in years.

Haven's Hollow is a new Resurgence map that will debut with Season 01, and feedback has apparently been positive. Rebirth Island will be receiving a "full refresh" for Season 02, and at some point there will be a map rotation for Resurgence where you're able to play both.

I guess Area 99 is completely dead, then. I must be the only person who thought it was more fun than Rebirth Island.

Avalon "Blackout" and beyond...

The biggest thing I think anyone is actually looking forward to in Warzone in the next 12 months is Avalon. The new map is the focal point for a new "Blackout-inspired" mode, of which we've seen only the briefest of teases so far.

Blackout was Call of Duty's first foray into the then exploding battle royale scene, packaged with Black Ops 4. You had to buy the full game to play, but it was so much fun, and retains a special place in the community's hearts.

What we now know is that the new Blackout mode is slated for Season 02, aka, early 2026.

"And finally, we couldn’t be more excited for the arrival of our new Blackout experience on Avalon during Season 02! The success of post-launch modes like Resurgence has proven the value of taking bold but intentional risks - and we believe this will embody exactly that spirit."

As far as "one more thing" goes, that's the one most Warzone players wanted to hear about.

Raven has also detailed how it will use limited-time game modes to test new features, such as the new wall jumping movement mechanic that will be part of Black Ops 7, but not immediately part of the core Warzone experience.

The biggest question is, though, is it enough?

Battlefield 6 battle royale could be the alternative

As with Black Ops 7, the skeptics will say that what's actually pressuring Activision the most right now, is Battlefield 6.

This year is not a year that Call of Duty can be lazy and half-baked, because there is a very real alternative. While Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6 are quite different approaches to an FPS, a free-to-play battle royale is perfectly poised to capture disenchanted Warzone players.

All of that is to say we've not even seen it yet. Nothing has been publically shared, with a "shadowdrop" expected. Warzone won't be seeing any changes until Season 01 drops, which will likely be 2-3 weeks after Black Ops 7 releases, at least, and that's more than enough time to get its hooks in.

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