Call of Duty: Warzonemay be in slightly choppy waters at the moment. The battle royale was something of a phenomenon when it first landed, but its popularity - including its competitive popularity - is somewhat dwindling.If the upcomingWarzonesequeldoesn’t deliver, it seems the brand may be taking a big hit on the esports front.
Call of Duty: Warzonedropped in 2020 as a free-to-play battle royale companion to 2019’sModern Warfare. Understandably for a game like this, it became popular among streamers and competitive players. It continues to receive updates and new content as a sequel waits on the horizon, but some prominent players seem to be losing interest in the property.
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Aydan is considered by most to be one of the game’s best players and is certainly amongWarzone’shighest financial earners. But he seems to share a sentiment that many gamers have as player numbers decline - he doesn’t find it fun anymore. If the upcoming sequel doesn’t right the ship and meet expectations, he’s stated his intention to move on fromCall of Duty.
Aydan moved fromFortnitetoCall of Dutyand quickly established himself as one of the game’s premiere players. But he seems to have lost his passion for playing the game. In a recent stream, he admitted that he now only plays the game for the tournaments, and things are even lackluster on that front with shrinking prize pools on offer among an ever-decreasing number of competitive events.
Aydan, like many other esport professionals, is anticipating this release with trepidation rather than excitement. It’s telling that one of the highest-profile players of the game is now on record as saying that if the game doesn’t meet his expectations, he will simply move on to new pastures.
Despite unhappiness in some circles,Warzoneis still an immensely popular game and in generalCall of Dutyhas shown impressive staying poweras a franchise over the years. The esports popularity of the game is only one aspect of its success, but it’s not an insignificant one, especially given how competitive the battle royale gaming space is. It will be interesting to see what sort of competitive momentumWarzone 2has following its release and whether it can entice players like Aydan to stick around.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2is in development.
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