Summary
Call of Duty: Warzoneis shrinking the size of matches significantly just a little over a week after launching its newest map, Area 99. The newWarzonemap was released alongsideCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Season 1 content update, which made many tweaks and changes to the game’s multiplayer component. Season 1 introduced players to the new world ofCall of Duty: Warzone, with Area 99 being a completely new battle royale arena. However, the map seemingly has not been performing the way developers anticipated, with the maximum number of players getting cut across the board.
Released in 2020,Call of Duty: Warzonecontinues to make waves within both theCall of Dutyand battle royale spaces. The game amasses millions of players, consistently introducing new weapons, areas, and content to keep things interesting.Warzonerecently entered its newest and biggest chapter yet, with Treyarch releasing its highly anticipated continuation of theBlack Opssaga,Call of Duty; Black Ops 6,in 2024. Introducing an exciting new campaign for players to complete, as well as the next iteration of theever-expandingCall of Duty Zombiesstoryline,Black Ops 6makes many changes, some of which have been highly requested by fans. AlongsideBlack Ops 6’s Season 1 cycle comes a newWarzonemap, Area 99, though this new addition has been trimmed.
Now Area 99’s player counts are being cut down. Players will notice that various modes of play have been affected, including Quads, Trios, and Solos. The cuts are relatively small, with the number of players moving from 44 to 40 for Quads and Solos moving from 45 to 40, though these changes will fundamentally change the way matches feel inWarzone’s new Area 99 map.
Call of Duty: Warzone Cuts Down Area 99 Match Sizes
The team notes that this decision was made after reviewing data, saying, “we’ve made the decision to slightly adjust the player count on Area 99, our newest Resurgence map.” The change may come as a surprise to players, as Area 99 has only been available to play on for a little over a week, releasing as part ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Season 1 updateon November 14. It’s possible developers may take another look at Area 99 and adjust player counts accordingly, but only time will tell.
There’s plenty more in store for bothWarzoneandBlack Ops 6as Season 1 moves forward. Alongside new additions toWarzone, as well asBlack Ops 6’s multiplayer mode, Zombies fans have a brand-new map to look forward to called Citadelle des Morts. This new location seems to call back to the days ofBlack Ops 3’s Der Eisendrache map, placing players inside an ominous castle setting. All of this new content and more arrives on December 5 as part ofBlack Ops 6’s season 1 “Reloaded.”
