In a lot of ways, Call of Duty has changed and defined the multiplayer shooter genre in such a way that's been unseen since Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64. A large part of the success that Call of Duty has experienced can be attributed to its frenetic and fast-paced map design. There is rarely time for players to catch their breath or plan a strategy beyond just staying alive on most maps. Chief among this design philosophy is the map, Shipment. This map is the smallest in the entire franchise despite making its debut nearly fifteen years ago in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Due to the success of that title, Shipment has been brought back several times in many different forms. These range from simple 1:1 remasters, or entirely new reimaginings in order to fit in with a game's specific storyline or setting. The Shipment formula has proven itself to be a surefire map in any of the Call of Duty games it has been in. Its simplistic, symmetrical arena makes it easy for casual gamers and pros alike to jump into the action.
The Original Shipment
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare launched the series into the online multiplayer phenomenon that the series would come to be known for. The create-a-class system, perks, and customizable weapons all started here, and these are things that are still staples in the franchise's yearly release, with occasional tweaks. Though there are sixteen multiplayer maps in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, a few always stood out as the best: Wet Work, Crash, Strike, and of course, Shipment. The map takes place in a compact, fenced-off shipping container area. It is essentially symmetrical in design with several pairs of enterable containers dotted around the arena.
It is not uncommon for players to have one or two seconds after spawning on Shipment to move before being killed. This is again due to the small size, which makes spawn-killing extraordinarily easy to do, as wherever a player looks there's a good chance someone is about to respawn there. Furthermore, the relatively short height of the shipping containers makes explosives like grenades and airstrikes very effective. The map was also featured in the Alpha version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but never made it to the full release.
Shipment Remasters
When the original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was remastered in 2016 and bundled with Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, many fans were happy to return to the older maps alongside a more boots-on-the-ground gameplay style. The title is a remaster but with more modern Call of Duty additions such as the Hardpoint mode and some more customization. As such, Shipment and all other multiplayer maps remain identical to the original version, just with a graphical improvement.
The year 2019 saw the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series get rebooted. As part of the game's first season of free Call of Duty content, a remastered version of Shipment was included in the multiplayer offerings. This version of the map is slightly different in design than the original and the remaster version. Some of the container locations have been altered to prevent easy lines of sight into possible respawn points. The entire map has also been shifted so that flag points in the Domination game mode are in better spots.
Furthermore, the verticality of Shipment has been altered. More shipping crates have been placed on top of each other to prevent grenade spam, and players can climb on top of some crates for an advantageous position. The map would later go on to be included in Call of Duty: Mobile, and the version in that title would be based on the Modern Warfare 2019 version.
Shipment Remakes
As mentioned, there have been a few Call of Duty titles that reimagined the iconic Shipment to better fit with a specific game's storyline or setting. The first game to do so was the oft-forgotten PSVita exclusive Call of Duty: Black Ops: Declassified. This title served as a prequel to the beloved Call of Duty: Black Ops II and is the first game Shipment appears in where it wasn't developed by Infinity Ward. In Black Ops: Declassified, Shipment is renamed as "Container" in one of the most significant changes. The only other changes to Shipment here are aesthetic, as there is much less grass and all the shipping containers are green instead of the usual red and blue.
The next reimagined version of Shipment came a year later, with Infinity Ward's cross-generation 2013 title, Call of Duty: Ghosts. Like future titles would do, Ghosts did not include this map, now titled "Showtime," at launch, and was instead available in the final DLC pack for the game. Showtime kept the arena fighting spirit of the original Shipment and expanded upon it. Thematically, the map takes place in an actual arena with an announcer. However, there are some pretty big structural changes from Shipment. The sides of the map are now expanded with additional hallways intended for flanking. There is also a unique slot machine field order on the map that gives players random rewards such as care packages or fills those previously mentioned hallways with toxic gas.
The Call of Duty: Ghosts version of Shipment had a lot going on, so when the map was again reimagined as Shipment 1944 for Call of Duty: WWII, it went back to basics. The structure is essentially the same as the original Modern Warfare version and there are no expanded hallways this time; the major difference is just the setting and aesthetic design. Instead of modern colorful shipping containers, Shipment 1944 features wooden and makeshift structures on the same beach as the Multiplayer Headquarters. It is just as fast-paced as the original, but with a thematic coat of paint. Shipment 1944 stands out as a very faithful reimagining of the original map.
Shipment, alongside Nuketown, is probably the most iconic and memorable multiplayer map in the entire Call of Duty franchise. It has appeared numerous times since its initial release nearly fifteen years ago. Each entry and appearance has its own take on the map, either as a direct translation across games or a more unique reimagining like Call of Duty: Ghosts. Regardless of its form, the map is almost always a fan-favorite whenever it appears in a game's rotation due to its trademark close-quarters gameplay and heart-pumping moments. With a new version of Shipment leaked for Call of Duty: Vanguard, players could soon be returning to the small arena of containers.
Call of Duty: Vanguard launched November 5, 2021.