The Call of Duty: Vanguard reveal 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 special Vanguard event in Call 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 that Call of Duty: Vanguard will 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 makes Call of Duty: Vanguard having 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 on Call of Duty 2021’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: Vanguard will have 20 maps on 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 in Call 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 to Call of Duty: Vanguard’s mini royale experience. Likely similar to the Multi-Team modes in Call 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 of Call of Duty games 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 was 2011’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, as every entry in the original Modern Warfare trilogy had this number of maps. The first two Black Ops games boasted 14 maps, as did Call of Duty: Ghosts. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare began the downward trend with 13 maps, and though it briefly jumped up to 14 in Call 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: WW2 featured nine maps, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare featured ten, and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War only had eight. With three of the past four Call of Duty games 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 scores can 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.
While Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Seasons have 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 for Call of Duty: Vanguard, it seems like the game could sidestep this issue completely. With 16 6v6 maps, most Call of Duty fans 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 original Modern Warfare games and first few Black Ops games 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 in Call of Duty: Vanguard than 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 and Sledgehammer Games.
The first possibility is that the content has been pulled directly from Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Seasons. Activision and Sledgehammer could be trying to take an opposite approach to what was done for Call 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 given Call 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. With London 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 the Call of Duty community, 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 like Call of Duty: Vanguard will be in a much better place than past entries when it comes to its maps.
Call of Duty: Vanguardis currently in development.
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