Is this Call of Duty: Warzone's next map?

Our first peek at Call of Duty: Warzone's second season partnered with Black Ops - Cold War is here, and it sure looks like we're going to Laos. The new cinematic trailer depicts a handful of new operators (Wolf, Rivas, and Naga) as well as Black Ops mainstay Frank Woods infiltrating Laos to rescue Russell Adler after his capture by Stitch.

Season 2 promises plenty of new weapons, maps, and cosmetics for Cold War players, but the question on the minds of millions of fans remains: is this a new Warzone map?

Warzone got its first 'official' new map with the smaller Rebirth Island side modes in Season 1, but players have been anticipating a full break from Verdansk to a map of similar size for months. With the game's one-year anniversary coming up in March, now feels like the right time for a big change.

Since early this year, we've heard rumblings about an upcoming Warzone map separate from Rebirth Island. VGC reported back in July 2020 that Warzone's next map would be Cold War-themed. That map was supposedly due to release last year and was pushed back. With a few extra months of work, this Laos environment could be the map they're referring to. Call of Duty leaker ModernWarzone apparently spotted a point of interest in the game's code pointing to a zoo (a possible return of the Black Ops 1 map) that may exist inside the new Warzone map.

What's more real than speculation and rumor, though, is the fact that Activision has been hinting at the fall of Verdansk for some time now. There are nuclear missiles below Verdansk, after all, and the story told over the last year suggests they'll be used at some point. If recent hints at a zombie outbreak in Verdansk are any indication, the 150-player map may soon become a wasteland.

Another Warzone map doesn't necessarily mean that Verdansk is going away forever, but like other battle royale games, any new destination will likely take the top slot for its first few months. 

Cold War Season 2 begins on February 25 with new weapons, maps, and operators. Expect the weapons and operators to also come to Warzone, but keep in mind the rumored map could be farther off than we think.