Could Blackout 2.0 Contend With Warzone's Popularity?


The concept of a sequel to Blackout, Call of Duty's first foray into the battle royale genre, is nothing new due to leaks all but confirming that a second Blackout title was considered after a map set in the Ural Mountains was discovered within the files of Black Ops Cold War. While some thought the Ural Mountains map would be Warzone's second map, it soon became clear that Verdansk was being replaced with a 1980s-themed iteration of itself, news that was met with a slight tinge of disappointment from players that were hoping for a completely new battlefield.

As Season 3 gets underway, Treyarch has revealed that a brand-new game mode named 'Multi-Team Elimination' will be arriving in Cold War. Much to everyone's surprise, the mode is not a Fireteam variation. It is in fact a mode extremely similar to a typical battle royale game where the last team standing will be declared the winner.

Although the Call of Duty franchise has seen incredible success with Warzone, the battle royale has been plagued with a variety of game-breaking bugs and exploits that often ruin the experience for players either dropping into Verdansk or Rebirth Island.

With the launch of Multi-Team Elimination coming during Season 3 and Treyarch in control of how the mode plays, is there a chance that the second coming of Blackout could contest with the incredible popularity of Warzone?

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There Is Potential

Multi Team Elimination Cold War Blackout 2.0 Release Date
click to enlarge

With a completed map set in the Ural Mountains ready to go alongside fully functioning mechanics and a complete arsenal of weaponry, there is no reason as to why Multi Team Elimination couldn't rival Warzone. The game mode would enable players to play the map that was originally intended to be added over a 1980s rework of Verdansk, and they will also get the opportunity to utilise mechanics such as swimming, something that cannot be performed in Warzone.

With enough difference and a completely different game engine to Warzone, the mode set for release at an unknown point during Season 3 could garner some incredible popularity from those wanting the battle royale experience with the feel of a Black Ops title.

While the mode will certainly prove popular for players that aren't the biggest fans of Warzone, the unofficial sequel to Blackout will have a tricky task in attempting to usurp Warzone from its position as one of the most popular battle royale titles in the genre.

If Warzone is so incredibly popular, then why has Treyarch added in a mode that could provide some in-house competition?

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A Pay To Play BR

One deciding factor that will hinder the popularity of Cold War's equivalent to a battle royale is the obvious paywall that players will have to climb over in order to access the mode. Rather than making it a free-to-play mode, players will have to fork out if they want to experience Multi-Team Elimination, which is why the mode won't come close to reaching the heights of Warzone.

The vast majority of battle royale titles are free-to-play and have achieved incredible success, making this particular mode available for an exclusive player base that may not even be interested in such a playlist given the popularity of Warzone.

Despite being behind a paywall, there is certainly space for an alternative to Warzone and it looks like Treyarch will be filling a gap that many players would be happy with.

Something Different

I, like many Call of Duty fans, often grow bored of playing exactly the same map and inevitably dying to exactly the same weapons that dominate the weapon metagame thanks to a lack of developer input.

In my opinion, there is certainly a gap in Call of Duty's battle royale offering that can be filled by the addition of this mode, and by appealing to those that prefer Blackout over Warzone, there is a real opportunity for the franchise to dominate the genre with two similar, yet totally different gameplay experiences.

Depending on the success of Multi-Team Elimination, it could well become a staple playlist alongside the likes of Team Deathmatch and Domination in Black Ops Cold War but I don't think that it will come close to contending with the incredible popularity of Warzone.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Call of Duty Warzone and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War page.