Call of Duty: Warzone debuted on March 10th 2020 as a free-to-play expansion of 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Developed by Infinity Ward and Raven Software, it brought battle royale to the game on PC, PS4 and Xbox One and has since gone on to become extremely popular. Warzone was even used to promote and reveal Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War through a series of cheeky easter eggs and live events.
This has left many fans wondering whether the next game in the series will feature a battle royale component. With Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War’s release date fast approaching, we thought it would be a good time to pin down exactly how Call of Duty Warzone will interface with Cold War, going off what the game’s publisher, Activision, has revealed so far. Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War will launch on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X on November 13th, later this year.
Will Black Ops Cold War feature a battle royale mode?
According to Activision, Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War will not feature its own standalone battle royale mode. This is because Warzone “will share content with Black Ops Cold War.” As per Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War’s game editions FAQ page, the new entry in the series will feature shared progression features with Warzone, meaning that players will be able to access “inventory items that can be used in both titles.”
It looks like your purchase of Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War will complement and develop your Call of Duty Warzone progression. According to Activision, more news about exactly how Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War and Warzone will work together is coming shortly. Activision has assured fans that regardless of how the battle royale component may change with Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, Warzone players will still be able to access the “Modern Warfare content” they already have access to, such as their Operators and weapon blueprints.
How will Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War work with Warzone?
Activision’s plans for Warzone in the wake of Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War’s release are still reasonably mysterious. Yet, they did flesh out their intentions in a blog post about cross-play and battle intel, which arrived in early September. According to the Call of Duty publisher, Warzone will “evolve” with the new game, “interweaving some of Black Ops Cold War’s themes, weapons and operators.”
The two games will also share “post-launch seasonal content” via the Battle Pass (which will still include free tiers) and the Store, as well as the aforementioned shared progression. Activision detailed how exactly this cross-progression system will work later in the blog post: “At launch, Black Ops Cold War is set to include a brand-new levelling journey that will later connect to Warzone, allowing players to unlock new functional content to be used in both titles.”
The post also confirms that Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War will not feature a Season Pass model: “Post-launch Multiplayer maps and modes will be free and given to all players simultaneously on all platforms.”
