Call of Duty: Warzone 2 has done well to reignite both the hype and discourse surrounding Activision's ambitious battle royale franchise. The 2022 title has done a lot to create its own identity, but still maintains a lot of the core framework from how its predecessor operated. That gives players a decent idea for what to expect in the long-term.
One of the most overt changes that came with Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is its brand-new core playlist map. Known as Al Mazrah, this map was well-received for its size and the diversity of its locations. Still, the franchise's past actions indicate that this map will eventually be replaced by another. While the specifics of what the battle royale's next map will entail are up to conjecture at this point, fans can look to how the original Warzone handled a change in map to ascertain when and how Warzone 2 will approach its own change.
Call of Duty: Warzone's Change From Verdansk to Caldera
Verdansk was the original map featured in 2020's Warzone, set within the Call of Duty franchise's fictional country of Kastovia. Beyond serving as the main map in Warzone, Verdansk was also the setting of Modern Warfare's Special Operation missions, as well as large-scale multiplayer modes.
Warzone launched with Verdansk as its only map, and like with many other battle royales, Verdansk underwent changes and iterations over the course of Warzone's life, often being tied to seasonal updates and the launch of new entries in the wider series. For example, the original version of Verdansk was phased out in April 2021 with the Destruction of Verdansk in-game event, which saw the map leveled by a nuclear bomb. Following this, a stylized 80s-themed version of called Verdansk 1984 hit the game. This map lasted for several months until the launch of Call of Duty Vanguard's Season One in December 2021, which saw Verdansk permanently replaced by a Pacific-set map called Caldera.
Warzone 2's Al Mazrah Could Be Replaced Later Rather than Sooner
Al Mazrah is similar to Verdansk in that it is a major city within a fictional country that's tied to the core narrative of the Modern Warfare reboot. While fans are currently enjoying the diverse map, it is more than likely going to be replaced at some point in the near-future. However, unlike the original Modern Warfare and Warzone, Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 are set for an unprecedented two-year stint as the franchise's only mainline release. While Sledgehammer Games is expected to be spearheading some form of expansion for Modern Warfare 2 in 2023, the release will not be as thematically diverse as one might have expected going from Modern Warfare to Vanguard.
This means the new map for Warzone 2 may not be jarringly different from Al Mazrah, but it could still come in a similar timeframe as Caldera replacing Verdansk. Verdansk was officially cycled out 21 months after launch, meaning Al Mazrah could be replaced around July 2024. Al Mazrah will likely undergo a comprehensive amount of changes leading up to this point, possibly introducing new iterations akin to Verdansk's 1984 setting until it is entirely replaced. While it is unknown what kind of map will replace Al Mazrah, fans should still have time to enjoy the experience before the map is potentially replaced.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is currently available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
