Call of Duty Warzone Battle Royale Expected to Launch for Free in March
For months now, rumours have been circulating online regarding an upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare battle royale mode. Indeed, there have even been some recent leaks which seem fairly conclusive. However, a new report suggests that this mode, “Call of Duty Warzone,” will be releasing for free in March. Moreover, the report claims that it will also be releasing as a standalone, free-to-play game.
New Details About Call of Duty Warzone
The recent report, which was published by VGC earlier today, includes details which were apparently leaked by “development sources”. Of course, it’s worth noting that without official confirmation from Activision, it’s impossible to be 100% sure that this information is accurate. However, it does correlate with some previously leaked information and date found in Modern Warfare’s game files.
According to the report, Call of Duty Warzone is the upcoming Modern Warfare battle royale mode, and it is “at least a few weeks away”. The report goes on to speculate that the most likely release date is the 10th of March, as the game’s updates typically launch on Tuesdays. Supposedly, Warzone will be a free content expansion for Modern Warfare; indeed, the timing would make sense for a mid-season content release for Season 2. However, the report goes on to state that Warzone will actually be releasing as a free standalone battle royale title. This would allow anybody to play it, without needing to own Modern Warfare itself. (Although an option to pay to upgrade to the full game will apparently be present in the free version.)
Interestingly, this very claim was actually first made six months ago in a then-uncomfirmed leak. At the time, the claim was that Modern Warfare’s battle royale would be; “a free mode to release in early 2020. It will be downloadable as a separate game, but also will still be connected to the core game.”
While this approach would be a deviation from Activision’s ordinary content delivery model, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise given the state of the battle royale market. After all, Warzone’s primary competitors are likely to be Fortnite and Apex Legends; both of which are free-to-play. It would also serve as a way to draw in new players who may eventually purchase Modern Warfare. The report goes on to state that marketing for Warzone is likely to begin later this week. As such, fans should keep their eyes open for news in the next few days.