The massively anticipated battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone 2 has recently launched, with fans finally being able to delve into the free-to-play sequel. As many would have expected, this new installment in Call of Duty's battle royale franchise brings with it a multitude of changes and tweaks to its predecessor's gameplay formula in a bid to entice more fans and give the fresh title its own sense of identity.
While many of these new changes appear to work well within Call of Duty: Warzone 2 from what gameplay fans have seen in the lead up to the game's release, it appears that many of them are perhaps inspired from another popular title within the genre. From things like new AI enemies to how Warzone 2.0 monetizes itself, the influence of Fortnite in relation to these new changes seems abundantly clear.
The Success of Fortnite and the Battle Royale Genre
Fortnite released its battle royale mode in 2017 and propelled the already growing genre to the top of the gaming industry. A comprehensive battle royale with a vibrant and addictive art style, the free-to-play nature of Fortnite and its availability across console and PC led to truly massive player-counts and resultant success.
It can be said that it was Fortnite that led to a multitude of subsequent battle royale games that began saturating the industry, but the legacy of some of the title's most defining aspects have had an ever clearer influence on games even outside of this specific genre. Most people agree that Fortnite popularized the battle pass form of monetization that is now a relative standard of the gaming industry, as well as the concept of breaking up post-launch content into timed seasons to keep a game fresh.
The Influence of Fortnite On Warzone 2.0 Changes
One of the largest changes that has come with Warzone 2.0 compared to the first game is the presence of AI enemies throughout the title's expansive new map of Al Mazrah. While the original Warzone did sometimes showcase AI enemies during seasonal events such as the Krampus, these were more of a novelty compared to the more grounded and tactical enemies of Warzone 2.0.
These AI enemies patrol and guard things like strongholds, which contain high-end loot for those brave enough to fight their way inside. This is extremely similar to the AI areas that have long existed within Fortnite, with the new title perhaps taking inspiration from the success of Fortnite's AI utilization.
Like the first game, Warzone 2.0 will also be retaining the battle pass system popularized by Fortnite. It must be said, however, that Warzone 2.0's battle pass is non-linear, affording players more freedom in what they wish to unlock and giving the title's core monetization system its own level of unique identity. Warzone 2.0 has also added other features from Fortnite such as interrogations, in which a player can carry out an animation on a downed enemy to gain locational knowledge of other enemies within a lobby, only further reinforcing the influence of Fortnite in the new title.
While it is clear that many of the fresher elements to Warzone 2.0 may have taken influence from Fortnite, it is good to see that some of these borrowed features have their own tweaks and mutations to keep them more in-fitting with the Warzone formula and pace of gameplay. Given the massive levels of success that Fortnite has experienced since its release, it is no wonder that other high-profile battle royales like Warzone 2.0 are looking to emulate certain aspects of the title.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.