NICKMERCS Thoughts about Old Call of Duty Maps

Raven Software is hard at work on Warzone 2, the next era of Call of Duty battle royales, and NICKMERCS claims there’s just one thing the developers need to do to ensure it’s a hit straight away: bring back classic maps.

Adding fan-favorite CoD battlefields like Highrise, Terminal, and Favela—all from Modern Warfare 2—is “key” for the battle royale sequel, according to the Twitch star.

NICKMERCS said on-stream on March 9th; “Since the beginning of Warzone we’ve talked about this. They [franchise devs like Raven Software, Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer] make all these really great Call of Duty maps, then they just die. Why? Put them in Warzone, build around them! I think that’s a great idea.”

He said that having a number of classic maps in Warzone 2’s battlefield right away would be a huge boost for the sequel, given their “already strong” design. NICKMERCS’ concept may also come to fruition. Information about the new Call of Duty battle royale has already begun to emerge, and one big trend has been the assumption that Highrise and Favela would actually be POIs in the game. This comes on top of speculations that the game will be set in a “desert-themed battlefield.” 

According to VGC, other Modern Warfare 2 maps such as Afghan, Quarry, Terminal, and Trailer Park will be “stitched together” into one gigantic arena. 

The significant focus on past franchise maps may be a turning point for Warzone, but a lot of improvements will be required to entice the Twitch star back to his old gaming flame. After waves of cheaters descended on Raven Software’s Warzone servers, the 31-year-old notoriously left the game in August 2021. He’s been hammering Apex Legends since then, and he’s even considering going pro on the ALGS circuit this season. 

Warzone’s design, in his opinion, is “too casual,” a trend that will most likely continue in the sequel. “[The changes they make] slow the pace down, in an effort to protect bots [casual players]. But really. they’re just going to get shit on either way. That’s the reality. Big devs will always make moves to protect their player base from the sharks that farm it daily, but there’s only so much you can do.” 

Warzone 2 has not yet been handed an official release date yet. Insiders are expecting to see Raven Software begin marketing runs in early next year, with a March 2023 release one likely launch option internally. If NICKMERCS makes a comeback, only time will tell. He has stated, “I don’t think I’ll ever permanently go back to Call of Duty,” he has said, “but I do [always] want to check out changes.”