TheCall of Duty: Vanguardreveal is right around the corner, as the game is set to be showcased on August 19. While it remains to be seen how much will be shown during the specialVanguardevent inCall of Duty: Warzone, as it may only be a brief campaign trailer, leaks have provided fans with plenty of exciting bits of info. While insiders have shared a lot of information, perhaps the most surprising reveal of all is the multiplayer map count.
The information comes from several reliable sources, including the reputable leaker Tom Henderson, giving fans good reason to trust the validity of the rumor. While leaks should obviously be taken with a grain of salt, this one is worth discussing, as it suggests thatCall of Duty: Vanguardwill launch with a lot more maps than recent games. While this could have a negative impact on the game’s post-launch Seasons, it seems like fans will have a lot to be excited about on launch day.
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Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Supposed Map Count
What makesCall of Duty: Vanguardhaving a lot of maps so surprising is the fact that fans had previously been led to believe it would be lacking in this area. Tom Henderson, one of the main sources reporting onCall of Duty2021’s development troubles, suggested that the game would only boast eight maps on day one. However, he has since changed his tune, reporting that this number has been more than doubled since his original comments were made.
According to Henderson,Call of Duty: Vanguardwill have 20 mapson day one. A truly staggering number, this is an impressive jump up from the previous rumor. While it is unclear how this increase was accomplished, as the number could be padded by remasters or come from the fact that several studios are working on the game, what is clear is that fans will have a lot of content to play as soon as the game is available. With map variety being huge inCall of Duty, this leak is incredibly promising.
It is worth noting that not every map will be for 6v6 playlists, even if a vast majority are. Four of the maps will apparently be exclusive toCall of Duty: Vanguard’s mini royale experience. Likely similar to the Multi-Team modes inCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, these maps will be significantly larger than the ones seen in regular multiplayer. Even then, though, the game will launch with 16 maps for the game’s traditional multiplayer, a number that closely resembles the Golden Age ofCall of Dutygames as opposed to recent entries.
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Map Count Compared To Other Games
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s 20 map count is hugely impressive, especially when held up to older titles. The last time players saw 16 6v6 maps on day one was2011’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,as every entry in the originalModern Warfaretrilogy had this number of maps. The first twoBlack Opsgames boasted 14 maps, as didCall of Duty: Ghosts.Call of Duty: Advanced Warfarebegan the downward trend with 13 maps, and though it briefly jumped up to 14 inCall of Duty: Black Ops 4, fans have had to get used to something in the 8-12 range as opposed to the 14-16 map counts of old.
Call of Duty: WW2featured nine maps,Call of Duty: Modern Warfarefeatured ten, andCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waronly had eight. With three of the past fourCall of Dutygames having a noticeably low map count, it is hardly a surprise that fans have grown increasingly frustrated when it comes to the lack of content. Alongside plentiful bugs,Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s mediocre review scorescan be contributed to the fact that the game’s map lineup was so limited, as both Zombies and multiplayer suffered. Lacking the variety of the past games, many felt that the modes grew stale fast.
WhileCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Seasonshave provided a lot of content and ended the drought that was seen at launch, it is hard to ignore the fact that a lack of maps on day one heavily damaged the game’s reputation. Fortunately forCall of Duty: Vanguard, it seems like the game could sidestep this issue completely. With 16 6v6 maps, mostCall of Dutyfans should be satisfied, with players able to expect a lot of gameplay diversity from the get-go. While it remains to be seen if it will evoke the same feeling that the originalModern Warfaregames and first fewBlack Opsgames did, matching their large map counts is a very good sign.
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How Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Map Count Could Be A Double-Edged Sword
With such an impressive map count being rumored, gamers seem to be a lot more interested inCall of Duty: Vanguardthan they were previously. However, it is important to note that there could be a few reasons why the leaks about the map lineup underwent such a drastic change. Both would present a downside, though it is hard to argue that the risk would not be worth it for Activision andSledgehammer Games.
The first possibility is that the content has been pulled directly fromCall of Duty: Vanguard’s Seasons. Activision and Sledgehammer could be trying to take an opposite approach towhat was done forCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, as that game launched weak but improved greatly over time.Call of Duty: Vanguard, on the other hand, may be playing all its cards at launch. A few maps could have been taken out of Season 1 and Season 2 to help reach the impressive 16 map total, meaning that the first few post-launch Seasons will lack content. This would explain how the map count suddenly jumped up and how all those maps were able to be made.
The second possibility, and the more likely one givenCall of Duty’s love for remakes, is that a majority of the 16 maps will be remakes. This too would explain how the leaked map count changed so much, as remakes would be a lot quicker to design than fully original maps. WithLondon Docks also leaked, it is all-but-confirmed that the game will feature some remastered maps, with the only question being how many and when they will be added. While this will be exciting for some parts of theCall of Dutycommunity, those that are tired of remakes will likely be let down. Still, even if the game’s earlier Seasons are weaker or the launch count is padded with remakes, it sounds likeCall of Duty: Vanguardwill be in a much better place than past entries when it comes to its maps.
