Activision Just Killed Call of Duty’s DMZ Mode — and No-One’s Surprised

Activision has announced Call of Duty DMZ will no longer receive new content updates, sounding the death knell for the mode.

The Infinity Ward-developed DMZ launched last year as part of Warzone 2.0, and went down well with fans and critics. Its sandbox extraction gameplay riffed on the likes of Escape from Tarkov, and offered something a little different for Call of Duty. “It’s a really fun and refreshing change of pace between rounds of battle royale,” we said in IGN’s Warzone 2.0 review.
However, fans of DMZ have complained about a content drought this year, with some lamenting a lack support compared to Modern Warfare’s traditional multiplayer and the battle royale. It didn’t help that Activision called DMZ a “beta”, which raised further questions about its status and whether or not it would launch proper. Fans feared the worst after DMZ skipped the recent COD Next reveal event, although Activision insisted it planned to continue support.

DMZ players’ fears were realised yesterday when Activision issued a statement that confirmed DMZ will be relegated to the bowels of the much-maligned COD HQ launcher, and progression in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone will not sync or carry back to the mode. Similarly, DMZ progress will not apply to new battle passes with the launch of Season 1 next week. It’s worth noting that DMZ remains free-to-play and accessible through Warzone.

Here’s Activision’s statement in full:

We would like to thank the entire community for their support and continued feedback on the DMZ Beta. Infinity Ward and all the development teams who contributed to the creation of DMZ are incredibly proud and delighted to see the enthusiasm and participation that you’ve shown since its release, and to see so many players pouring into the MWZ mode in Modern Warfare III, which has many DMZ-inspired gameplay aspects within it.

Beginning with next week’s launch of Season 1, DMZ Beta players can continue the mode via the Call of Duty: Warzone section of COD HQ. The DMZ Beta will remain fully playable across all current DMZ content, including Al Mazrah, Ashika Island, the Koschei Complex, Building 21, Vondel, as well as all DMZ missions. The mode will not be available or interact directly within Modern Warfare III or Call of Duty: Warzone which means that progression and any new Modern Warfare III or Warzone content, including Battle Pass or store bundles, will not sync or carry back into this DMZ mode. Also, DMZ progress will not apply to new Battle Passes beginning with Season 1.

We recognize that not having cross progression with Modern Warfare III and Warzone may be frustrating for some players, but we felt now was the time to take all the learnings from the Beta that we could apply toward future development efforts as we evolve this style of play. We also know that many players still enjoy the mode and wanted to ensure that everybody can keep playing, which is why we are keeping a variety of content available.

Going forward, development teams will continue to evolve these dynamic open world experiences into the future. We look forward to sharing updates when ready.

Perhaps the only glimmer of hope here for DMZ fans is that Activision suggests extraction gameplay is something that may make it into future open world experiences, whatever they may be. Modern Warfare 3 launched with an open world Zombies mode, which is now the priority.

The DMZ community is now in mourning, although no-one is particularly surprised by the news. “DMZ was honestly one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I have had in years, which is something I didn’t think I’d say about anything COD related,” redditor stalk3r93 said. “I’m sure DMZ will return one day, as separate paid game maybe with different name.”

It feels like a time of change for Call of Duty. Last night, Activision sent shockwaves throughout the community by talking about hot topic Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM) for the first time ever, and promising to be more communicative about it in the future. Activision has also pulled Call of Duty’s infamous ‘Groot’ skin, which was hard to spot in certain circumstances.

Season 1 kicks off in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone on December 6.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.