Call of Duty: Warzone's Area 99 Is Exactly What Nuketown…

Summary

The Call of Duty NEXT event annually reveals upcoming content, and it brought plenty of looks at the future this year, with Warzone's new Resurgence map included in the stream.
Call of Duty: Warzone's Area 99 map truly shakes up the Nuketown concept, something that is long overdue due to how similar the various versions of Nuketown have been.
Area 99 explores the area where Nuketown's staging is built, and its various locations make it look like a fresh play space as opposed to another Nuketown reskin.

Beginning in 2022 with the lead-up to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's launch, Call of Duty NEXT is now an annual event that sees content creators test out the next entry in the long-running FPS franchise and sees developers unveil a wealth of new information about the game. This year's Call of Duty NEXT event was packed to the brim with announcements and gameplay demonstrations, with plenty of multiplayer livestreams, some new Zombies information, and Call of Duty: Warzone having its big reveal.

It's been over four years since Call of Duty: Warzone first launched, and the game is bigger than ever thanks in no small part to its consistent stream of updates and content drops. Nearly every year, Call of Duty: Warzone receives a brand new map, and the release of Black Ops 6 will be no different. Revealed at Call of Duty NEXT, "Area 99" will be Call of Duty: Warzone's next Resurgence map, and it might finally give a 14-year-old map the shake-up it needs.

Call of Duty: Warzone's Area 99 Map Is The Refresh Nuketown Needed

Nuketown Is Old Hat Now

Debuting in 2010's Call of Duty: Black Ops, Nuketown is one of, if not the most iconic Call of Duty map in franchise history. Channeling the frantic close-quarters nature of maps like Shipment, Black Ops' Nuketown was the ideal setting for small team game modes and 1v1s. The two houses with facing windows, the bus offering cover in the middle of the map, the gardens behind each house, and the incredibly distinct 1950s aesthetic, all of Nuketown's elements combined to make an accessible and thrilling map that deserved the recognition it received.

But that was only the start of Nuketown's legacy. Nuketown was brought back just two years later with Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, where it was given a retro-futuristic makeover. Then it appeared again in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. And again in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. And once again in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. While it's always nice to see a new version of Nuketown, playing the map has gotten very repetitive, with its layout not changing at all in the last 14 years. The only difference between all these versions of Nuketown is the visual theming of each map.

Area 99 Changes and Expands on Nuketown In Some Major Ways

Set to release alongside Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in October, Call of Duty: Warzone's newly announced Area 99 Resurgence map is putting some big spins on the usual Nuketown concept. Area 99 is essentially an entire Resurgence map based on the creation of Nuketown. Players will be fighting their way through the manufacturing facilities where the Nuketown houses are made, the shipping yards where the Nuketown houses are hoisted up by cranes and placed on cargo ships, the test-site bunkers where the missiles are eventually launched, and an assortment of other POIs all themed around the original Nuketown map.

Rather than just deliver another reskin of Nuketown, Call of Duty: Warzone is going above and beyond with its Area 99 map, building on Nuketown's core premise and expanding upon it greatly. That being said, there will still be a version of Nuketown in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's multiplayer mode, titled "Sandhouse," though this is shaking up the usual formula as well by depicting the location post-nuclear blast, with sand piled high over the ruins of the iconic houses.

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First-Person Shooter

Battle Royale

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 78%

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Released: March 10, 2020
ESRB: M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Violence
Developer(s): Infinity Ward, Raven Software
Publisher(s): Activision
Engine: IW 8.0 & IW 9.0 (Warzone 2.0)
Multiplayer: Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

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Welcome to Call of Duty®: Warzone™, the massive free-to-play combat arena which now features Urzikstan, Rebirth Island and Fortune’s Keep.
Turn the Heat Up
Prepare to take the battle to a new metropolis in the all-new Urzikstan map, the new big Battle Royale map. Jump in to celebrate the epic return of Rebirth Island and Fortune’s Keep, two Resurgence maps that are sure to excite veterans and newcomers alike.
Loot For Rewards
Discover supply boxes and complete contracts to build your arsenal and gain a tactical advantage.

A Game Pass Core subscription is not required to play Call of Duty®: Warzone™. All other online modes still require Game Pass Core.

A mobile phone number may be required to be linked to your Activision account to play Call of Duty®: Warzone™.

Cross Save: YES
Franchise: Call of Duty
Steam Deck Compatibility: no
Platform(s): Xbox One, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Genre(s): First-Person Shooter, Battle Royale
How Long To Beat: 30-36 hours
PS Plus Availability: N/A