Activision Promises to Continue to Support Call of Duty DMZ ‘Beta’ Despite COD Next No-Show

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Activision has told fans of Call of Duty’s DMZ that it intends to continue supporting the extraction mode despite it skipping the upcoming COD Next reveal event.

COD Next, set for this Thursday, October 5, will fully reveal Modern Warfare 3 and what’s next for Warzone 2.0, including its new map. But DMZ mode is not part of the show.

“Although DMZ won’t be showcased at COD Next this week, we’re excited to share that we will continue to support the DMZ Beta,” Activision said in an announcement shared this week. “Players will have continuing infiltration opportunities for Al Mazrah, Ashika Island, Vondel — as well as Building 21 and Koschei Complex.

“Thank you for your continued support and dedication to the Beta! We will share further updates closer to Season 01.”

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 saying it lacks support compared to Modern Warfare’s traditional multiplayer and the battle royale. While this fresh statement from Activision is designed to reassure DMZ fans, it has in fact caused concern to grow. Activision’s mention of the DMZ “beta” has raised questions about its status, and whether or not DMZ will then launch proper.

This is as close we’re going to get as an admission that the mode won’t be getting any new content. Was fun whilst it lasted.

— Mr Fishy McFish – The Fish, So Far (@McfishMr) October 2, 2023

Cautiously optimistic but feel like “beta” and “support” are code for mothballing… would love to see DMZ have a bright future full of content and updates but just happy that it’s not getting unplugged 🫡

— He Is Zee (@_HeIsZee) October 2, 2023

Definitely need them to clarify what support means – this post could be interpreted as just “don’t worry, we aren’t taking the mode offline or removing maps”

— Chad (@ChadOfDuty) October 2, 2023

Glad I didn’t get attached to that game mode

— DrippyPlays (@DrippyPlays_) October 2, 2023

Now people can stop acting like it’s just gonna be dropped

— Pr0digyZRX (@Pr0digyZRX) October 2, 2023

Will be interesting to see how long DMZ survives what with everyone playing the new game and all

— Aladdin (@JigsawsAladdin) October 2, 2023

Summing up the sentiment, redditor Gojiwars_Goji posted Activision’s statement to the DMZ subreddit with the thread title: “IT LIVES!”

Modern Warfare 3 is set to launch with an expansive Zombies mode (it’s the first time Zombies is in a Modern Warfare game), and fans suspect this may be the focus at the expense of DMZ.

On the multiplayer side, Modern Warfare 3 includes all 16 launch maps from the original Modern Warfare 2, and will see 12 new 6v6 maps come out post-launch. Activision will host an open beta across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC (PlayStation owners get first access). Those who pre-order gain access to the campaign up to a week before release.

Modern Warfare 3 launches on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S on November 10.

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.