Call of Duty uncouples Warzone from annual schedule with platform overhaul

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s release is bringing change to the larger franchise by letting players dictate what they download from the games.

In a new blog on the series’ website, the developers revealed players will be able to remove Call of Duty: Warzone from the download of yearly entries. This change will go into effect next Wednesday, August 21.

Previous Call of Duty games have become infamous for their large file sizes at launch, which grow further during their individual lifecycles. Much of that can be placed on the free-to-play battle royale, whose updates change with each new game.

In separating Warzone from the annual game, Call of Duty will be treated like a service platform akin to Jackbox’s recent unified library or eventually Assassin’s Creed Infinity.

“When you purchase an annual title, you will only download the files for that game by default,” wrote the Call of Duty team. “We want to give players the choice to download each Call of Duty, including Warzone, when and how they wish.”

If a player wants to download it along with their annual game, that option remains, or they can download it separately at any point they choose.

In other changes, a new user interface is launching in mid-October ahead of Black Ops 6. Both Warzone and the most recent annual game will be featured on the front page for “ease of access,” while previous or last played games will be displayed in the player’s in-franchise library.

Putting the games in a central location is beneficial in multiple ways, said the CoD team. Along with giving Warzone a permanent home and helping players switch games faster, it slims down file sizes and addresses earlier “technology and content management challenges.”

“Our goal is to provide a place where players can come in and enjoy whatever Call of Duty experience they wish—download and play what you want, when you want.”

More information on Call of Duty’s changes, and how they’ll be implemented across various platforms, can be read here.