Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera will soon be shut down

When the latest title Warzone 2.0 was recently renamed simply Call of Duty: Warzone, the first rumors about a possible shutdown of the first Warzone part already surfaced.

Now Activision actually announced that Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera – or Warzone 1 – will be shut down later this year.

When will the lights go out on Warzone 1?

According to this, the plug will be pulled on Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera as early as September 21, 2023, and all gameplay features, all progress, inventories, and online services will no longer be available from then on.#

The announcement, of course, touts the current title – Warzone 2. Three Battle Royale maps, DMZ mode, Blackcell Battle Passes and more.

It also mentions the upcoming title Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, a mobile title that will share player progression in terms of weapons and Battle Pass with Warzone 2.
It’s interesting that the old map Verdansk will be used here, and a return of Rebirth Island has also been reported in some leaks.

Basically, however, Activision is pushing the players towards the newer titles – and thus meets with a lot of criticism from the fan community.

Shutdown plans cause much criticism

This is a novelty for Activision and also for the entire Call of Duty franchise, which has met with a lot of criticism from the gaming community.

Even the very old parts of Call of Duty are still completely playable online, even if the player numbers are sometimes only in the triple digits worldwide.
But still: If you want to, you can still play Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 1 or 2 or Black Ops 1 today and fill up on a bit of nostalgia.

In the case of Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera, that will no longer be possible.
In the Pandemic era, Warzone 1 was a great title that came out at the right time and brought many new and old players of the franchise back to the PCs and controllers – and this one will soon just not be playable anymore.

Some players still prefer Warzone 1, on the one hand because they don’t like the direction of Warzone 2 in general – or on the other hand because of the much better possibilities to effectively move and control their character in the game (Movement).
Also, points like the TTK (“Time to Kill”) – that is, the time until your character dies – many feel much better in the predecessor.

Last but not least, many people are simply concerned about the time and money that players invested in Warzone 1.
Those who have unlocked skins for weapons and characters or bought them in skin packs lose all access to them.
Unless he buys the multiplayer titles Modern Warfare 2019, Cold War and Vanguard.

Transferring cosmetic items does not seem to be an option at the moment.
Good examples that this is possible and also well accepted are titles like Fortnite or Counter-Strike 2.

What meets with even less understanding is that Warzone’s predecessor Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout can still be played and purchased online.

It is questionable whether the gaming community will forgive Activision for this action and continue to buy big in the in-game store, with the fear of possibly experiencing a shutdown again in the not too distant future.