Warzone 2 reportedly in development for 2023 launch

The next iteration of the Call of Duty battle royale experience appears to be in the works as Activision reportedly has plans to launch Warzone 2 in 2023.

Outside of major annual updates that integrate new CoD titles with the battle royale, Warzone appears to be in line for a new full-fledged iteration of its own.

Warzone 2 is currently in development at Activision, according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier.

Described as a brand new iteration of Warzone, rather than a typical content drop, this follow-up is targeting a 2023 launch.

Activision

Warzone is reportedly set for a full new iteration, rather than a standard update.

Little else is known at this stage. There’s no telling which Activision studios are assigned to the project, nor what the specific goals might be.

We could see major gameplay overhauls, new systems, more ambitious in-game events, or just a less buggy experience in general. Each new Warzone update typically comes with its own set of game-breaking issues, leading many to demand a “fresh start” down the line.

Activision appears ready to deliver as this could mark Warzone’s biggest shift by the time it arrives, three years after the original launch.

Activision

We could finally see Warzone move to its own launcher on console with this new iteration.

This information came as part of a larger report clarifying CoD’s status on PlayStation hardware following Microsoft’s $70b acquisition of publisher Activision Blizzard.

Although details were scarce at first, Schreier now claims at least the next three CoD titles will remain on Sony’s ecosystem. That includes not just mainline entries from Infinity Ward and Treyarch in 2022 and 2023 respectively, but also this new Warzone iteration.

• Read More: Everything we know about CoD 2022: Modern Warfare 2

Exactly which systems will be supported though, remains unclear. Warzone 2 could accommodate players across both old-gen and new-gen hardware, or it could be a leap forward for the battle royale, focusing solely on the latest technology.

Industry insider Tom Henderson claims Activision is honed in on the latter. “A completely new game for the better hardware,” he explained.

We’re sure to have more concrete details in the coming months.

Activision

There’s no telling which maps or playlists, if any, will transfer over to the next era of Warzone.

Warzone quickly became one of Activision’s biggest cash cows shortly after its 2020 release.

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The free-to-play CoD title helps generate over $1.2 billion in microtransaction sales alone each quarter, alongside the likes of CoD Mobile and Overwatch.