While it seems like Call of Duty: Warzone players will indeed be seeing the long-rumored nuke event soon, the map that will come from it is likely not the Ural Mountains. Via some follow-up posts from various leakers, Call of Duty: Warzone fans have a better idea of why this map will not be appearing.
For those unfamiliar, the Ural Mountains map was set to be an entirely different location from Verdansk, as it was built using the Fireteam maps from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. New points-of-interest, a fresh color palette, and a different overall style were all main features, with a leaker even revealed the Ural Mountains design yesterday. Unfortunately, that same leaker implied that the map was scrapped despite being finished, and now fans have a better idea as to why.
Following the Ural Mountains leak from @_Nanikos_, @ModernWarzone confirmed that the image shown in the leak was authentic. The design certainly looks real enough, as it incorporates areas like Sanatorium, Alpine, and Golova, the leaked maps Zoo and Duga, and more. The map also has a very similar visual style to the Blackout map, and it turns out that this is for good reason. Per @AndyPlaytonic from VGC, the map was never designed for Call of Duty: Warzone.
According to the insider, the map was built from the ground up in Treyarch's engine, designed purely for a sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout game mode. Per VGC, the sole reason that this Blackout map and sequel game mode have been scrapped is Call of Duty: Warzone’s popularity. While Activision gave the go-ahead, it did not know the phenomenon that Call of Duty: Warzone would become. As such, the map and mode were supposedly cut so that they would not interfere with the current Call of Duty battle royale game.
This rumor will undoubtedly anger some fans, as learning that entire follow-up to Blackout was cut so that Call of Duty: Warzone could thrive is a tough pill to swallow. After all, with players likely only getting a 1980s version of Verdansk with some reworked areas, losing out on the entirely fresh Ural Mountains as well could be a huge blow to the fan base. For those who prefer Blackout’s style and mechanics over Call of Duty: Warzone, this leak will surely be even more heartbreaking.
While there is a chance that some fans will start a campaign like #FixWarzone in hopes to save the map, it seems as if it would be a tough road to get it made. While this news should be taken with a grain of salt like any other leak, VGC’s story sadly sounds credible.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.