Activision is shutting down the original Call of Duty: Warzone in September

Activision has announced that the servers for the first iteration of its popular battle royale will go offline on September 21 as it continues to focus on the newer Warzone 2.0.

The details:

• The publisher confirmed the closure of Warzone Caldera, the latest version of the original free-to-play Warzone mode introduced in 2020, in an announcement post on its official website. Players will no longer be able to play the mode, and all in-game content will also be unavailable. Owners of Modern Warfare, Black Ops: Cold War, and/or Vanguard will be able to access Warzone store-bought bundles and other unlockables in their respective games.
• Activision has stated that the shutdown will allow its teams to "focus on future Call of Duty content, including the current Warzone free-to-play experience," with Warzone 2.0 having recently received a new map, Vondel, as well as other gameplay changes with the release of Modern Warfare 2's fourth season. Fans should also "prepare" for more content across all platforms, with Warzone Mobile's full release later this year, which will include a shared battle pass and cross-progression.
• Warzone was an instant success, launching as a free-to-play title in March 2020 at the height of a global pandemic with crossplay functionality, allowing those who didn't own Modern Warfare to participate in the battle royale with friends and family. As new paid Call of Duty entries were released, the mode was updated with new maps, guns, and gameplay mechanics until it was finally replaced by an entirely new version with the release of Modern Warfare II in 2022. Despite the change, Activision kept the original game in its final form for those who wanted to play the faster-paced title.

More Activision news:

• Images of the classic Call of Duty maps Scrapyard and Terminal from the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III have leaked online. Although the legitimacy of the images has not been confirmed, insiders claim to have seen "similar" images earlier in development.
• The FTC has requested a "temporary restraining order" to prevent Microsoft from finalizing its deal with Activision Blizzard. Despite the FTC's December 2022 lawsuit, the FTC claims that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have not "provided assurances" that they will not continue to push for the deal's closure.