Call of Duty leaker claims WWII-era Warzone map won’t arrive until 2022

While Sledgehammer Games is reportedly taking us back to the WWII-era with the 2021 Call of Duty release, new leaks suggest that a tie-in Warzone map won’t be arriving until 2022.

As we get further into the year, more and more leaks surrounding CoD 2021 have begun to appear online. After months of speculation, we now know that the upcoming title is reportedly titled ‘WWII: Vanguard.’

With the campaign and multiplayer experiences supposedly set in an alternate version of the 1950s, exactly how this new release will merge with Warzone remains unclear. Early reports suggest that Sledgehammer’s title will utilize the 2019 Modern Warfare engine. Beyond that, however, the future of Warzone is shrouded in mystery.

One thing appears certain though, according to new leaks from CoD insider Tom Henderson: “we are 100% not getting a World War 2 Warzone map in 2021.”

While the community might have expected to see a full-size battle royale map with each new entry, the “botched release” of Black Ops Cold War allegedly put an end to those plans. 

Treyarch’s 2020 title was supposed to deploy a brand new Warzone map “months ago,” according to Henderson. Yet almost five months after launch and the first teaser has only just leaked.

Allegedly behind schedule, this has an impact on Warzone’s future integration with WWII: Vanguard. “We’re likely to see some kind of WWII Warzone map around April 2022,” Henderson suggested. “Although, official development of such a map hasn’t started.”

Moreover, it won’t be a full-scale map like in the same vein as Verdansk. Instead, it will supposedly “be similar” in scope to “Rebirth Island, with 40-60 players” in mind. A different studio outside of Sledgehammer Games will reportedly be responsible for this smaller Warzone development.

When it comes to WWII integration with Warzone, outside of a new map, Activision also has plans to bring relevant weapons into the battle royale. Rather than a full-sized content drop similar to BOCW’s merge, Vanguard could cycle new weapons in across various seasons, according to Henderson. 

Players would need to unlock WWII-era guns in Warzone before being able to use them. These in-game challenges could, in turn, encourage players to pay for quicker access.

“The reason for this change is to incentivize people purchasing Blueprints, or even the full game, to complete weapon challenges faster to use them in Warzone,” he said.

• Read More: NICKMERCS reveals why he’s “scared” about Warzone in CoD 2021

“ Essentially day one weapons in Vanguard could come to Warzone, but as DLC, which will require players to unlock them via in-game challenges.”

Obviously, we’re still months out from the release of Sledgehammer’s new title, so it’s worth taking this information with a grain of salt for now. Plans could certainly change in the lead-up to launch.

• Read More: 5 challenges CoD 2021 must overcome in WW2 return

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled over the coming weeks as Warzone Season 2 comes to a close. The future of CoD’s hugely popular battle royale could be made clear after the leaked nuclear event.