The highly anticipated Call of Duty: Warzone 2 featured heavily within the recent Call of Duty Next presentation, alongside tons of information regarding the upcoming Modern Warfare 2. With the presentation revealing key information for the title such as its intended release date, a plethora of details regarding game modes and mechanics was also revealed.
One of the most attention-grabbing details that was revealed concerning Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is the fact that the title is set to feature proximity chat communication. Although with its own controversial aspects, the implementation of proximity chat has been largely welcomed by the community, who are already teeming with excitement at the type of content that proximity chat will inexorably provide.
The Basics of Call of Duty: Warzone 2
Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is a recently announced sequel to the massively successful Warzone, which was Call of Duty's foray into the contemporarily dominant genre of battle royale games. Set to run simultaneously alongside the upcoming Modern Warfare 2, Warzone 2 will be free-to-play like its popular predecessor upon its intended launch date of November 16.
Warzone 2 will initially take place in a brand-new map called Al Mazrah, which is reportedly even larger than the fan-favorite Verdansk map of the first Warzone. While obviously maintaining a lot of the core battle royale formula from the first title, Warzone 2 is set to bring a litany of changes to help shape its own unique identity and gameplay. For example, Warzone 2 will feature 2v2 gulags with AI opponents, completely changing how players will be able to gain a second chance in matches.
The upcoming title will also have end-game boundary circles that can branch off into multiple simultaneous locations, as well as new mechanics such as diving and vehicle hijacking. The Al Marzah map will also feature hostile strongholds populated with AI, as well as multiple fan-favorite points of interest such as the Highrise map from the original Modern Warfare 2. Of all the new game mechanics and features that have recently been revealed regarding Warzone 2, none seem to have resonated with fans quite as well as the implementation of proximity chat for the title.
Proximity Chat in Warzone 2
Proximity chat in gaming means that voice communications for a player are scaled depending on the distance between the two players, usually even being audible to opponents. As two players get closer to each other the volume of their voice chats increase, giving a tangible indication as to how physically close a player is to the person talking. While this offers some semblance of a tactical advantage, proximity chat in gaming has historically been the source of endless hilarious moments.
The battle royale genre is no stranger to proximity chat as a core feature of gameplay, with the trailblazing H1Z1 offering proximity chat that was the source of numerous iconic gaming clips. Given how inherently high the stakes are due to the competitive nature of battle royales, allowing opposing players the ability to speak to each other predictably leads to hilarious moments that can range from psychological gamesmanship to hopeless pleas for truces.
Of course, many streamers are already worried that the presence of proximity chat could foster an environment where trolls can play copyrighted music or purposely break terms of service agreements for streamers, however it is likely that proximity chat could be opted out of easily through the options menu of the game. Regardless, it remains that, when used sensibly, proximity chat in Warzone 2 is set to bring some amazing content over the course of the title's life cycle through the added level of in-game interaction that it will bring.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2 launches on November 16 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.