Verdansk Boosts Warzone, Developers Confirm Its Permanence

It's fair to say that Verdansk has injected new vitality into *Call of Duty: Warzone*, and the timing couldn't be more perfect. The online community had previously labeled Activision's five-year-old battle royale as "cooked," but the nostalgia-laden return of Verdansk has flipped the script. Now, the internet is buzzing, declaring *Warzone* "back" with a vengeance. Despite the dramatic nuking of Verdansk in the game's storyline, it seems this doesn't faze fans. Both lapsed players, who remember *Warzone* fondly as their lockdown game, and loyalists who have stuck with it through thick and thin over the past five years, agree: *Warzone* is more enjoyable now than it has been since its explosive debut in 2020.

This return to a back-to-basics gameplay experience was a deliberate choice by the developers at Raven and Beenox. Pete Actipis, the game director at Raven, and Etienne Pouliot, the creative director at Beenox, spearheaded the multi-studio effort to rejuvenate *Warzone*. In an in-depth interview with IGN, the duo detailed their approach to revitalizing the game. They discussed the success of Verdansk's Casual mode, considered whether limiting operator skins to mil-sim styles would enhance the 2020 feel, and addressed the burning question on everyone's mind: Is Verdansk here to stay?

Read on to discover their insights and plans for the future of *Call of Duty: Warzone*.