Activision shows off Warzone’s new map and confirms it only supports 100 players

Activision has released a video covering the development of Warzone’s new map and confirmed that its battle royale mode will support a reduced player count of 100 combatants.

While the free-to-play game has supported 150 player modes since its release in March 2020, its new Urzikstan map reduces the player count by a third.

Developer Raven Software explained the decision in a message published ahead of the map’s launch on Wednesday as part of Modern Warfare 3‘s Season 1 update.

“Our top priority is creating an optimal and fun experience for all of our players based on critical metrics,” it said.

“These metrics include time-to-action, the map size of Urzikstan, new circle timings and sizes, total match time (20 minutes), red dots, contracts, and various new & existing second chance mechanics.

“We believe we’ve found the right balance to offer multiple phases starting with fair infil & looting, followed by healthy mid-game engagements, and an end game climax where the best player(s) leave with the win.

“As always, we will continue to monitor community sentiment and internal data closely, making adjustments as needed over time,” Raven added.

Consisting of 11 major points of interest, Urzikstan borders the Republic of Adal, the location of Warzone’s Al Mazrah map, which launched last year with Modern Warfare 2.

The new map is 20% smaller than Al Mazrah, Raven told content creators this week, according to CharlieIntel, which also published the following map comparison sizes (Urzikstan’s exact size is still to be officially announced):

• Al Mazrah (7,095,838 m²)
• Urzikstan (TBD)
• Caldera (6,405,025 m²)
• Verdansk (5,835,157 m²)
• Vondel (2,457,056 m²)
• Fortune’s Keep (240,790 m²)
• Ashika Island (222,002 m²)
• Rebirth (152,865 m²)

Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 is scheduled to launch across all platforms on December 6 at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm GMT / 6pm CET.

Further reading

Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 launch trailer and roadmap released

The free content update arrives next week

The game’s first seasonal update will introduce a host of new content across the game’s three online pillars – multiplayer, Zombies and Warzone.

This will include three brand-new 6v6 multiplayer maps, the return of Gunfight, All or Nothing, Infected and Headquarters multiplayer modes, and a new Zombies story act and Dark Aether Rifts.