Warzone 2 built from ground up on new CoD engine after original Warzone struggles

After years of working under the constraints of Warzone’s original build, Activision has confirmed Warzone 2 is being built from the ground up on an entirely new engine. From innovative features to an FOV slider on console, here’s what we know.

When Warzone launched in 2020, it did so as part of Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2019. The same engine was utilized across both projects as the battle royale component even slotted into Modern Warfare’s launcher, rather than serving as its own separate title.

Ever since, each new yearly installment has attempted to bring new content and features from different engines. Treyarch’s Cold War and Sledgehammer’s Vanguard both came with their own set of “significant challenges,” when integrated with Warzone, Infinity Ward’s Pat Kelly has now explained.

With various limitations impacting Warzone’s progression, developers have now made the bold call to jump ship. Warzone 2 is being “built from the ground up” on an entirely new engine.

Rather than iterating on Warzone for another year, a full-fledged sequel is now in development. Warzone 2 is set to mark a “massive evolution” for the CoD battle royale experience in a number of ways.

As a completely new build, certain technological improvements now appear possible. After years of console players struggling without a Field of View (FOV) slider, Warzone 2 seems to be taking that leap.

Despite ample “investigations and performance tests” from the devs, an FOV slider simply isn’t coming to the original Warzone. “We are not going to add it,” the team has now confirmed once and for all.

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However, the upcoming sequel could be leaving that issue in the rearview mirror. It’s expected that Warzone 2 will feature FOV improvements to some degree on new-gen hardware.

Moreover, the Warzone sequel is also set to feature a unique “sandbox mode” upon arrival. While details are scarce, this “all-new play space” also appears to be an area of innovation that isn’t quite possible on the game’s current engine.

• Read More: Everything we know about Warzone 2

Warzone 2 is on track to “come with Modern Warfare 2,” devs confirmed. Though it’s currently unclear if this means the sequel will arrive at launch, or further into the next CoD cycle.

After all, the first Warzone launched in March 2020, a whole five months after Modern Warfare 2019 hit store shelves.