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In November of last year, the latest installments of the Call of Duty franchise were released: Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and Modern Warfare 2. While many players have migrated to the newer games, a group of dedicated fans still yearned to relive their Call of Duty: Warzone experiences. Initially, the older Warzone version, now referred to as Warzone Caldera, was temporarily taken down to make way for the new game's launch by Activision.
However, after the release of Warzone 2.0, nostalgic fans were granted access to the older game if they owned Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019). Unfortunately, the publisher recently announced their plans to close access to Warzone Caldera in the near future. Therefore, fans who wish to indulge in the original Warzone should make the most of their gaming time at present.
Here is all you need to know about the Warzone Caldera shutdown date and other details.
Warzone Caldera shutdown date
Activision announced two days ago in a blog post on the official Call of Duty website that they would be shutting down Warzone Caldera on 21st September, 2023.
The reasoning behind this decision, as explained by the company, is to prioritize future Call of Duty content, particularly the ongoing free-to-play experience of Warzone. It's important to note that Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera is a distinct game separate from Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0. Consequently, player progression, cross-progression for XP and Weapon XP, inventories, Battle Pass content, weapons, Store Bundles, and other purchases made in Modern Warfare, Warzone, Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard are exclusively accessible within Warzone Caldera.
Activision clarified that any purchased content in Warzone Caldera from the aforementioned games will remain accessible in their respective titles. Moreover, the developer reassured players that the shutdown of Warzone Caldera will have no impact on current Warzone gameplay, inventory, or player progression in Al Mazrah or any other available maps.
However, fans are unhappy about this development. Streamers like FaZe member Swagg have expressed disapproval at the shutdown tweeting out that it was "mindblowing" of Activision to shut down Warzone 1.
Players have also had several complaints about the slower movement in the newer version of Warzone. While the developer has made changes to movement in the newer seasons of Warzone 2.0, many remain dissatisfied.
Other content creators have also expressed their disappointment at the news:
Fans have also slammed Activision for their decision to shut down Warzone 1 just three years after its launch, pointing out that players have spent a lot of money on skins which they cannot now use except in a few circumstances. Activision has said this decision was made so the team could focus more on Warzone 2.0 content as well as the launch of Warzone Mobile.
