As we approach Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s release, Activision has finally started revealing information about the upcoming shooter. During a recent trailer, the company offered a new look at Vladimir Makarov, who will presumably be one of the game’s leading antagonists.
The trailer also showed quick snippets of Verdansk, the iconic Warzone map that started it all back in 2020. While the trailer doesn’t outright confirm how Verdansk will make its triumphant return in Modern Warfare 3, we do know it will play some kind of role in the upcoming game.
During the latest Modern Warfare 3 trailer, which focuses on Makarov, we get a couple of quick shots of what appears to be Verdansk. The first of these occurs 57 seconds into the trailer.
During this shot, Operatives can be seen duking it out atop a rocky formation, before lightning strikes in the distance, revealing what seems to be the castle-like Prison from Verdansk. You can see one of the main Prison structures, just behind the character in the middle. This is unmistakable inclusion, calling back to one of Verdansk’s most popular POIs.
The second shot, which occurs at the 1:14 mark, is a bit meatier. It depicts the Stadium from Verdansk, with civilians running from the inside of the building while bombs go off. It’s hard to parse at first, but the Stadium’s interior hallways are tough to forget. Interesting to note that the footage during this section feels like it could be a flashback.
The Call of Duty series is no stranger to flashback missions, so that may be how Verdansk appears during the Modern Warfare 3 campaign. After all, Verdansk was nuked during the Warzone storyline, so it would be odd to experience the map in the present.
Throughout the trailer, many interior Prison shots can be seen, as well. It’s possible these are shots of the cells from Verdansk’s Prison, which means the map may play a substantial role in the upcoming game.
Given the nature of the trailer, which seems to focus more on narrative, it’s possible Verdansk will be part of the single-player campaign, instead of returning as a Warzone map. This may be disappointing to some fans, as the community has clamored for Verdansk’s return to the battle royale.
We know Activision is working on a new Warzone map, which will launch in December alongside Season 1 of Modern Warfare 3. It’s unlikely this map will send players back to Verdansk once again. Perhaps Activision will have two maps ready to go alongside this year’s Warzone integration — Whatever the new map is, and a new version of Verdansk. At this point, it’s tough to say. Activision certainly doesn’t have a history of launching two Warzone maps at once.
We’ll find out more when Modern Warfare 3 releases later this year.
