Caldera was never a good thing for the Call of Duty Warzone ecosystem. In fact, there are some who’ll say it outright killed the game, bringing into play an environment that nobody asked for that took them far away from their beloved Verdansk. However, as all good things must come to an end, so too do the bad things – and after today, September 21st, 2023, Warzone Caldera will cease to exist, as Activision pulls the plug and shuts it down forever.

It has been chugging along since it was introduced back in December 2021, and it has always had something of a resilient community. There are still thousands of players that remain on Warzone Caldera because it boasts the fast-paced, hyperactive movement mechanics that we came to associate with Warzone all those years ago. It’s a far cry from the slower-paced ‘Warzone 2.0’ that was introduced in November 2022, that’s for sure.

Regardless of whether you liked it or not, it’s going offline today forever. F in the chat.

Farewell, Caldera

Image Credit: Activision

For those who played Call of Duty Warzone on Caldera, there’s an everlasting debate as to whether or not it was actually a good map. There were some solid POIs, that’s for sure – and it introduced combat in aeroplanes, which was always quite entertaining. However, it never really felt like home, and Verdansk always seemed like the more popular map. It’s no real surprise that the likes of Rebirth Island became much more popular when Caldera dropped, as people pivoted away from the larger map to the small, fast experiences.

It was a few months ago that Activision confirmed it’d be ‘sunsetting’ Call of Duty Warzone Caldera, as it became known:

‘As of September 21st, 2023, Call of Duty Warzone Caldera will shut down, as our teams focus on future Call of Duty content including the currenty Warzone free-to-play experience. … Please note that the Warzone Caldera shut down has no impact to current Warzone gameplay, inventory, or player progression in Al Mazrah or the other available maps, and we look forward to continuing with you in that new Warzone experience.’

What’s Coming Next?

Warzone remains a popular if regularly controversial game. It’s fading away from being the best battle royale game on the market but it still has legs, and that’s shown particularly in the game’s esports scene. Recently, the World Series of Warzone played out, and over 300,000 concurrent viewers tuned in to see the action live. This year, it’s expected that the arrival of Modern Warfare III will bring an all-new Warzone experience, but rest assured it won’t be titled ‘Warzone 3.0’.

We’ve already seen footage of Modern Warfare III in play and can confirm it boasts a faster rate of movement than Modern Warfare II, thankfully. That means that the Warzone experience will be faster as well, lending itself to what used to be rather than what is. That also means that players far and wide will be much more impressed with what’s on offer – hopefully. They’re a tricky bunch to keep happy, it seems.

Stay tuned for more Call of Duty news on Esports.net