Summary
Beginning in 2022 with the lead-up toCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s launch, Call of Duty NEXT is now an annual event that sees content creators test out the next entry in the long-running FPS franchise and sees developers unveil a wealth of new information about the game.This year’s Call of Duty NEXT eventwas packed to the brim with announcements and gameplay demonstrations, with plenty of multiplayer livestreams, some new Zombies information, andCall of Duty: Warzonehaving its big reveal.
It’s been over four years sinceCall of Duty: Warzonefirst launched, and the game is bigger than ever thanks in no small part to its consistent stream of updates and content drops. Nearly every year,Call of Duty: Warzonereceives a brand new map, and the release ofBlack Ops 6will be no different. Revealed at Call of Duty NEXT, “Area 99” will beCall of Duty: Warzone’s next Resurgence map, and it might finally give a 14-year-old map the shake-up it needs.
Call of Duty: Warzone’s Area 99 Map Is The Refresh Nuketown Needed
Nuketown Is Old Hat Now
Debuting in 2010’sCall of Duty: Black Ops, Nuketown is one of, if not themost iconicCall of Dutymap in franchise history. Channeling the frantic close-quarters nature of maps like Shipment,Black Ops' Nuketown was the ideal setting for small team game modes and 1v1s. The two houses with facing windows, the bus offering cover in the middle of the map, the gardens behind each house, and the incredibly distinct 1950s aesthetic, all of Nuketown’s elements combined to make an accessible and thrilling map that deserved the recognition it received.
But that was only the start of Nuketown’s legacy. Nuketown was brought back just two years later withCall of Duty: Black Ops 2, where it was given a retro-futuristic makeover. Then it appeared again inCall of Duty: Black Ops 3. And again inCall of Duty: Black Ops 4. And once again inCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. While it’s always nice to seea new version of Nuketown, playing the map has gotten very repetitive, with its layout not changing at all in the last 14 years. The only difference between all these versions of Nuketown is the visual theming of each map.
Area 99 Changes and Expands on Nuketown In Some Major Ways
Set to release alongsideCall of Duty: Black Ops 6in October,Call of Duty: Warzone’s newly announced Area 99 Resurgence mapis putting some big spins on the usual Nuketown concept. Area 99 is essentially an entire Resurgence map based on the creation of Nuketown. Players will be fighting their way through the manufacturing facilities where the Nuketown houses are made, the shipping yards where the Nuketown houses are hoisted up by cranes and placed on cargo ships, the test-site bunkers where the missiles are eventually launched, and an assortment of other POIs all themed around the original Nuketown map.
Rather than just deliver another reskin of Nuketown,Call of Duty: Warzoneis going above and beyond with its Area 99 map, building on Nuketown’s core premise and expanding upon it greatly. That being said, there will still be a version ofNuketown inCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s multiplayer mode, titled “Sandhouse,” though this is shaking up the usual formula as well by depicting the location post-nuclear blast, with sand piled high over the ruins of the iconic houses.
Call of Duty: Warzone
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to Call of Duty®: Warzone™, the massive free-to-play combat arena which now features Urzikstan, Rebirth Island and Fortune’s Keep.Turn the Heat UpPrepare to take the battle to a new metropolis in the all-new Urzikstan map, the new big Battle Royale map. Jump in to celebrate the epic return of Rebirth Island and Fortune’s Keep, two Resurgence maps that are sure to excite veterans and newcomers alike.Loot For RewardsDiscover supply boxes and complete contracts to build your arsenal and gain a tactical advantage.A Game Pass Core subscription is not required to play Call of Duty®: Warzone™. All other online modes still require Game Pass Core.A mobile phone number may be required to be linked to your Activision account to play Call of Duty®: Warzone™.
