It's no exaggeration to say that Verdansk is injecting fresh excitement into Call of Duty: Warzone, arriving just when the game needed it most. The online community had already written off Activision's battle royale as "cooked" after five years, but the nostalgia-driven return of Verdansk has dramatically shifted opinions. Now, the internet is buzzing, declaring Warzone "back." Even though Activision nuked Verdansk previously, it seems the move hasn't dampened spirits. Players who drifted away but cherished Warzone as their lockdown game are flocking back to the map that started it all. Meanwhile, loyalists who have stuck with the game through its ups and downs over the past five years are proclaiming that Warzone is now more enjoyable than it has been since its explosive debut in 2020.

This return to the core gameplay experience was a deliberate choice by the developers at Raven and Beenox. Pete Actipis, game director at Raven, and Etienne Pouliot, creative director at Beenox, spearheaded the multi-studio effort to revitalize Warzone. In an in-depth interview with IGN, the duo delved into the process of bringing Warzone back to its roots. They discussed the success of Verdansk's Casual mode, considered whether they should limit operator skins to mil-sim for a more authentic 2020 experience, and tackled the critical question on everyone's mind: is Verdansk here to stay?

Read on to discover the full story and insights from the developers.