The incoming shutdown of the originalCall of Duty: Warzonehas gotten fans angry, and understandable so. Despite creating a separate app to allow players to continue playingCall of Duty: Warzone Caldera, that app will become inaccessible in a few months’ time. For fans who put hundreds of hours into unlocking camos, or paid hundreds of dollars forCall of Duty: Warzonecosmetics, losing access to a battle royale title that they expected to have continued access to is devastating.
Unfortunately, if fans can consider the originalCall of Duty: Warzoneshutdown the start of a new pattern, then in 5 years’ time they could be in store for another fresh start - that is unless Activision changes its strategy. One way to avoid the issue would be to look at howFortnitehas continued to evolve without requiring players to download a fully new game that has them abandoning their old cosmetics. For a few reasons,Fortnite’s approach is the ideal solution forCall of Duty: Warzonegoing forward.
RELATED:Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera Fans Can Look to the Past For a Replacement
Call of Duty: Warzone Could Go The Route of Graphical Updates Like Fortnite
Part of the reason thatCall of Duty: Warzone 2.0happened was that the original game became outdated from a visual and mechanical standpoint. In particular, the lack of a consoleFOV slider inCall of Duty: Warzonewas problematic, as it meant PC players had an advantage and that many console users were uncomfortable with the look of the game. Thankfully, theWarzone2.0application fixed this problem, so now the console version of the game is on par with the PC one from a technical standpoint.
With this in mind, there should be no need foranotherCall of Duty: Warzonegame, as a future next-gen application in five years’ time with some minor upgrades would be the only necessity. Still, Activision andCall of Duty’s developers will likely not want the battle royale game to look inferior to the paid titles, so occasional graphical updates could be the best way to make sure everything remains on the same level. This is something thatFortnitehas done perfectly in recent years.
Players who load intoFortnitetoday after not playing since it first released will likely be stunned in regard to how far the game has come, both from a mechanical and visual perspective. Features like swimming, vehicles, animal riding, and weapon crafting have all appeared over the years, as each chapter ofFortniteadds something new to enjoy alongside big graphics overhauls. While Epic’s ownership and mastery of theUnreal Engineis undoubtedly a big help here, as it is able to makeFortnitelook like a brand-new game whenever it starts to become even a little outdated,Call of Dutyalso uses its own engine.
With the exception of Treyarch titles, modernCall of Dutygames make use of the latest iteration of the IW engine, which regularly gets new features as the years go on. With leaks indicating thatTreyarchwill also be moving over to this engine with its next game instead of sticking to its modified version of IW3, the entireCall of Dutyfranchise will be using the same technology, something that should help make things easier forCall of Duty: Warzone’s developers. Hopefully, this means that the battle royale title can improve alongside the paid releases, with graphical updates dropping every few years just likeFortnite.
Considering that the originalCall of Duty: Warzonebrought overBlack Ops Cold Warskins despite those outfits being made within Treyarch’s older, outdated engine, it can be assumed that any older skins can be updated to look better wheneverCall of Duty: Warzonemakes these hypothetical graphical updates.Fortnitehas done an excellent job of making all of its cosmetics look good as the Island is improved visually, andCall of Duty: Warzonewould surely need to do the same. Still, this is much better than the alternative. Instead of abandoning the currentWarzoneand the skins players are buying right now in a few years’ time, just likewhat is happening withWarzone Caldera, Activision could instead make major updates to the existing iteration of the game. This way, the battle royale title could be improved without players losing their hard-earned cosmetics yet again.
Call of Duty: Warzoneis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
MORE:Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera’s Days Were Numbered From the Start
