New Warzone map accused of being a Verdansk rip-off
The endless memories of Verdansk will always be fond in the memories of Call of Duty players, being up there with the Black Ops 1 Zombies craze and the MW2 Highrise multiplayer era as the most series-defining landscapes ever made.
But the map is now long gone - except for Warzone Mobile - and the devs have made it quite clear that Verdansk is never coming back. Or have they?
Warzone's next map is on the way later this year, and ahead of its CoD Next reveal, a singular screenshot of the map has been aired, and fans notice that it's a bit too familiar.
Call of Duty reveals a first glance at the upcoming Las Almas Warzone map
The upcoming CoD Next showcase on October 5 is set to reveal exactly what's in store for players in Modern Warfare 3, Zombies, and Warzone, as the next wave of releases and major updates prepare to be rolled out.
Most eyes will be torn between seeing Highrise and the MW2 class of 2009 map pool be reinvigorated, but it will also be the first time that we see the Las Almas map, featuring classic POIs, in the flesh.
Ahead of the showcase, Call of Duty gave fans a sneak peek of what's in store too, with a still image depicting the new map. Although it's just one picture, players can clearly see a distinct Warzone palette, as a range of different landscapes are visible.
We're not alone in spotting there's a river leading to a downtown area, a rather Middle-Eastern island area on the left, and a busy and familiar port on the right. Fans have instantly drawn comparisons to another map that we left behind.
Warzone fans all agree that Las Almas map looks identical to Verdansk
Click to enlargeFrom just one small snippet, the Verdansk inspiration is evident. Players immediately noticed similarities to the Port POI from the OG map, with the cargo crates, flowing river, and overlooking cranes all on show.
"It looks a little too similar in my opinion. I’m hoping it’s not just MW3 meets Verdansk. With POI’s copy and pasted, that feels like a cop-out," one fan said on Twitter.
Some have also noted that there are a range of duplicated buildings, including the fire engine towers that populated Verdansk and often housed Big Bertha trucks.
The image has seemingly split opinions, though, with half of the community begging for something brand-new (which Las Almas was being dubbed as considering its Mexican influence) and others confessing that a Verdansk 2.0 might see a tried and tested formula reignite the passion for the game.
