Many fans were excited to get stuck into Call of Duty: Warzone‘s Season 4 content, but it looks like they’ll have to wait. As confirmed on the official Call of Duty Twitter account, Activision has delayed Season 4 in response to the ongoing equality protests.
In the post, Activision states that now is the “time for those speaking up,” and not the time for a Call of Duty update that could detract or distract from the movement. As for when we can expect the update, it has not provided an exact release date. All we know is that both Warzone Season 4 and Mobile Season 7 will come at “later dates.”
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) June 2, 2020
Supporting the protests
While some may find this decision frustrating, it is arguably justified from Activision Blizzard’s point of view. Frankly, 2019 was not a great year for the publisher from a PR standpoint. It kicked things off by banning pro-Hearthstone player Blitzchung for displaying public support for the Honk Kong independence protests.
Shortly after that, Blizzard president Allen Brack apologized for the handling of the situation. However, the company itself still refused to lift Blitzchung’s ban. Eventually, the ban was reduced to six months down from the initial twelve. Blizzard defended these decisions by claiming it was trying to keep the focus of its eSports on the gameplay rather than politics.
Six months later, it appears Activision Blizzard has abandoned that frame of mind. Instead of punishing people for speaking up, it is now actively promoting a political movement on one of its largest social media pages.
As for what fans can expect from Warzone‘s Season 4 update, a recent leak showcased four new weapons: the Fennec SMG, Rytek sniper rifle, Galil assault rifle, and dual wield blades. Respectively, the guns are based on the Kriss Vector, Barrett XM109, and IWI ACE. Both the Vector and Galil have featured in past Call of Duty titles, with the XM109 featuring in the Battlefield 3 campaign.
