Battle royale game modes have become exceptionally popular in recent years. With new games such asApex LegendsandFortniteexclusively offering the game mode, many already established franchises, such as the long-runningCall of Dutyseries, have begun testing the waters and adding their own battle royale mode.
At first, fans of regular FPS titles had trouble adjusting to battle royales, as they play quite differently than traditional game modes. But soon, many seasoned players found it impossible to resist the highly competitive and ever-changing nature of battle royales.Call of Duty: Warzonenot only helped keep the franchise alive in a market full of battle royales and FPS games, but it has become one of the most enjoyable games in the genre. With that said, theCall of Dutyfranchise has an interesting history with battle royales, one that has definitely had its ups and downs but ultimately led to the success ofWarzone.
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The Humble Beginnings of Call of Duty Multiplayer
The originalCall of Dutygame launched in 2003 and only for PC and Mac, but it did feature a multiplayer mode, albeit an extremely basic one. Just about every year after the first game,Call of Dutywould release another entry into the series, each of which added to the campaign and multiplayer. However, it wasCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfarewhich was released in 2007, that really put the franchise, and indefinitely the multiplayer, on the map.
Call of Duty 4is arguably the most influential titlein the franchise and has also done a good part in helping shape modern competitive FPS games. Using this game as a jumping-off point, the many different developers that have createdCall of Dutygames have made sure to keep close to the series’ roots, while also attempting to expand the series and keep up with modern gameplay tropes.
Having a solid formula and fan base,Call of Dutyhas been many players' top choice when it came to a competitive FPS. However, not every iteration of the game has been a smash hit and there are definitely titles in the series that took risks that have not paid off or provided fans with the polished experience they expect from aCall of Dutygame. That said, the booming success ofCall of Duty:Warzoneand therecent announcement ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2have kept the series’ multiplayer thriving.
Call of Duty’s Lesser-Known Battle Royale Beginnings
TheCall of Dutyname has been around for a long time, and it has had so many different sequels, remakes, and spin-offs that many fans may be unaware of just how many titles are in the franchise. Case and point, there was an entry in the series that was released in 2015 exclusively in China:Call of Duty Online.
Call of Duty Onlinewas a free-to-play game that was released solely on PC and featured many of the iconicCall of Dutygame modes, weapons, and characters. However, two years after its launch,Call of Duty Onlineintroduced a battle royale modethat would go on to revolutionize the series’ multiplayer.
Though the game mode was not necessarily an original idea, it mostly became popular through mods of multiplayer games and then gained momentum throughstand-alone titles such asPUBGandFortnite,Call of DutyOnlinewas technically the beginning of the game mode for the franchise, and it would help create the more widely known versions.
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Black Ops 4 and Call of Duty: Mobile’s Versions of Battle Royale
Fans ofCall of Dutywho are not able to find every title or follow every single release would be far more familiar with another version of battle royale: Blackout.Call of Duty: Black Ops 4launched in 2018as one of the first titles in the series to not feature a campaign. Instead, it featured Blackout, a battle royale mode that included many characters, weapons, and vehicles seen in theBlack Opsstory.
Blackout featured one of the largest maps inCall of Duty’s history, as it had to allow for up to 88 players to fight to the death in either solo, duos, or quad squads. Though neitherCall of Duty: Black Ops 4nor Blackout were a rousing success for the series, the latter piqued a lot of players’ interest, andBlackout laid much of the groundworkthat laterCall of Dutybattle royales would expand upon.
Call of Duty: Mobilealso featured a battle royale mode that plays exactly as one would expect. Though competitive FPS games may not be designed to be played on a mobile device,Call of Duty: Mobileremains fairly popular. Given that many other FPS games and battle royales, such asApex Legends,have made the jump to mobile, it made sense forCall of Dutyto follow suit by including a battle royale mode into its already established mobile game.
How Call of Duty: Warzone has Surpassed its Predecessors
Call of Duty: Warzoneis the most successful and well-known versionof the series’ battle royale. As it is the culmination of all the other battle royales before it, and perfectly combined the classicCall of Dutymultiplayer experience with the battle royale game mode.Warzoneallows players to use their own custom weapons and equipment in-game, while staying close to the series’ roots with familiar feelings maps.
The most recent rendition ofCall of Dutybattle royale was originally launched as a component of the 2019 version ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare, Warzonewas officially released in 2020 as a free-to-play multiplayer experience. And the title has continued to grow and gain popularity, with its most recent updates have had the battle royale integrating withrecent games such asCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarandCall of Duty: Vanguard.
ThoughWarzonedoes act as a standalone title, it has taken elements from the previousCall of Dutygames and will likely continue to expand through additional titles, such asCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. And with different game modes, maps, and events,Warzonecontinues to stay relevant while also keeping close to the core gameplay of the franchise and providing a unique experience from other battle royale games.
Call of Dutyremains to be one of the most inspirational FPS titles on the market. And it has helped set the standard for competitive multiplayer games. Even though there have been a few odd experiences with the series getting started with battle royales,Warzone’s success proves that the series has found a formula that works and will likely continue to stay popular through the years.
Call of Duty: Warzoneis currently available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
