Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a new spin-off of the popular shooter series, will also be released in 2022, but this year publisher Activision is cleaning up the shooter genre with MW2 (2022). With the Escape From Tarkov-inspired mode “DMZ”. What awaits us there & why we think COD deserves a chance, we reveal now.
What’s it about? “They just want a piece of the pie”, some say: “Cool thing”, others call it, but what really awaits you with the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Tarkov mode “DMZ” can only be speculated. But we took a look through the scope into the future and past — can DMZ in COD Modern Warfare 2 keep up with Tarkov or even outrun it?
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What do we know about the DMZ mode in CoD Modern Warfare 2?
The DMZ game mode, which has already been tried out by various playtesters, is probably strongly reminiscent of the principle from Escape From Tarkov. Don’t you know it? In Tarkov, you enter instanced mini-open worlds filled with players, NPC soldiers, loot and missions. Round durations range from 20 to 40 minutes, and if you go hopscotch, you lose everything! But everything you collect during the round and bring to an Extract point goes back with you to your hub world or inventory.
These mechanics are also supposed to work in DMZ, and the fight for survival is what makes it so appealing. As usual for Call of Duty, the matches should be faster and less tactical than in Tarkov. The Battle Royale offshoot Warzone is similar. Here, the developers have also focused more on quick reflexes than on clever tactics.
This is what leaks promise so far: Various leakers have revealed a lot about DMZ in Modern Warfare 2 in the past weeks and months: Among other things, DMZ is said to receive far more support from the development teams than Call of Duty’s multiplayer will in 2022, which bodes well for a next throw in the direction of own-brand — much like Warzone, which works separately from Call of Duty. In addition, as previously hinted, several COD studios are working on the Tarkov mode at once. Treyarch and Infinity Ward are supposed to take over the work. The fact that these studios are Activision’s two largest in-house studios in terms of COD gives us hope.
The publisher Activision has also announced a live event called “Call of Duty Next”, which will be broadcast on September 15. Here, the developer could then present new tangible clues about the COD Tarkov competitor. Because quote:
It (COD Next) will be an era-defining event, about the near future of Call of Duty.
When will the mode release? DMZ was supposedly not going to be released until a few weeks after the release of CoD Modern Warfare 2 on October 28, 2022. However, some playtesters have already uploaded images on their social media channels that hint at a launch of Tarkov Mode DMZ on the release of MW 2.
Modern Warfare II’s third mode ‘DMZ’ will launch in BETA.
“Something like the DMZ doesn’t become final until the general public has gotten hands on it. It’s a large mode that needs maintenance.” pic.twitter.com/WN384Y95CW
— Hope (@TheGhostOfHope) May 6, 2022
What makes Call of Duty’s “DMZ” better than Battlefield’s “Hazard Zone”?
The comparison is quickly drawn: The big players in the shooter space want a piece of the Tarkov pie. Battlefield failed at that, so why on earth should Call of Duty be any different? That’s a fair question, and one that I (hello!) have been asking myself for a long time. The big difference here lies in the effort and support for the game modes.
As various sources on the net show, DMZ is supposed to get much more support from Call of Duty than Hazard Zone ever did. While EA & Dice simply threw different ideas at the content wall, all of which bounced off, DMZ is the next big project for Activision.
That’s why I believe Activision is approaching the Tarkov genre with enough respect and initiative. Just as they have respectfully and creatively approached the Battle Royale genre and are right up there with it. Thus, DMZ is said to have been considered since the start of the development of MW2 (2022):
"Yes, but this has been built from the ground up with the mode in mind, it's not just an afterthought" – Current dev pic.twitter.com/9Qj7yVVML9
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) December 10, 2021
Call of Duty can’t keep up with Escape from Tarkov & can still be good!
Those who now believe: “DMZ can never replace Tarkov!” are probably completely right. DMZ in this year’s Call of Duty isn’t even supposed to knock Tarkov off its throne, at least not from its own. The games are comparable only by their genre. The inspiration. The way of playing a shooter.
Where Tarkov lures gamers with groundbreaking realism and tactical combat, Call of Duty tries to pick up all those gamers who celebrate the genre but don’t have the time or inclination to spend hundreds of hours in the learning phase. They don’t want to spend time analyzing ammunition types or changing a metal spring in the gun body to get 0.05 RPM more out of the gun.
My conclusion: Call of Duty’s DMZ can be a damn fun game mode if the developers actually put a lot of time and energy into implementation and support. However, this doesn’t replace Tarkov as the top dog, but rather benefits from the competition. There are certainly many aspects in which Battlestate Games can learn from other projects with Tarkov.
But what do you think about Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2’s Tarkov mode DMZ? Write a comment or join our socials to discuss and not miss anything.
