Warzone Caldera, the original version of the hit Call of Duty battle royale game, will shut down on September 21, 2023. As part of the announcement, Activision nudged players toward newer experiences such as the current version of Warzone (previously called Warzone 2.0), and the upcoming Warzone Mobile.
The Call of Duty community is unhappy with Activision’s decision to close Caldera, and many players have spent a considerable amount of money on cosmetics in the original Warzone. Its closure is yet another blow to game preservation efforts — and sets a scary precedent for future Warzone installments.
Since launching in 2022, the current version of Warzone has been largely disappointing, so much so, that some players opted to jump back to Warzone Caldera instead. Caldera (originally titled Call of Duty: Warzone) offers fluid movement that can be utilized to outplay opponents in satisfying ways. This meant that accurate aim and gun skill weren’t the only factor in determining the outcome of a match.
It’s unclear how many users are actually playing Caldera, but evidently, it wasn’t enough to justify keeping the servers up and running. While the Caldera map itself is often criticized, the gameplay makes up for the other shortcomings. From a game preservation standpoint, it’s mindboggling that we will no longer get to experience a game many have spent thousands of hours playing.
Activision reportedly made around $4 billion from the original Warzone across 2021 and 2022. That means the company sold an absurd amount of cosmetics that will no longer be accessible once the game closes. Technically, you will still be able to access your purchased items within each cosmetic’s respective game (for instance, the Terminator skins can still be used in Vanguard, while the Donnie Darko bunny outfit is still available in Black Ops Cold War).
But many older Call of Duty games eventually become unplayable due to online hackers — most recently with Black Ops Cold War. For all intents and purposes, if you spent money on the original Warzone, you’re out of luck after September 21.
This is problematic for future Call of Duty games, as it discourages users from making any purchases in current titles. Why buy cosmetics that will no longer be available in a couple of years? Since Warzone and the upcoming Warzone Mobile are free-to-play titles, Activision needs to sell cosmetics to generate revenue. But players might be less likely to open up their wallets now.
Warzone Caldera’s closure is all the more confusing since Activision still keeps the servers for older Call of Duty games up and running. It’s clear Activision wants to shift the community to new experiences, but with the looming closure of Caldera, players might not want to stick around anymore.
