Call of Duty: Warzone has no doubt taken the world of battle royale by storm, but there is one thing which has been missing from it since the very beginning: private matches. Most Call of Duty games have this feature, allowing players to explore maps or play with custom rules, but Warzone never did.
Now, rumor has it that Activision and Infinity Ward will be adding this feature via an update coming in the near future, and fan support for this idea is through the roof. Call of Duty: Warzone still holds a lot of unexplored secrets, and a private match would let fans explore freely.
The rumor comes by way of ModernWarzone, a prominent leaker for both Modern Warfare and Warzone, and puts extra emphasis on the feature arriving "soon." What exactly this means and the validity of the leak are uncertain, however, so players will want to stay flexible with expectations.
There are a couple things to consider when it comes to private matches in Warzone that make them different than other Call of Duty games, but the biggest concern is how large matches typically are in Warzone. Most players can gather a group of friends and have an enjoyable match in Modern Warfare, but that would be difficult to do with the immense size of Warzone's map. Beyond this, it's also worth noting that queue times for actual games may increase if more players are making use of private matches, but this hasn't deterred players from requesting it.
Players seem to love the idea of private matches, not only for the sake of being able to play with friends but also to more freely explore the areas of Warzone. In a typical match, players are constantly on high alert, trying to avoid death at the hands of others, but in a private match there is more leniency. There is also the potential that players will be able to fill their lobby with bots, giving those that can't keep up with the competition online a way to enjoy the game as well.
Though ModernWarzone is generally a reliable source of information, some in the comments point out that he said the same thing last season and it did not come to pass. Likewise, many are far too cautious to get their hopes up, and prefer to wait until Activision makes an official announcement. This is always the safer path, but if this rumor turns out to be true, fans may experience Verdansk in a new light soon.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.