Recently surfaced footage hints at a canceled battle royale mode for Call of Duty: WWII, developed by Sledgehammer Games. This predates both the Blackout mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and the massively popular Call of Duty: Warzone.

While Call of Duty: WWII offered innovative features like the Headquarters Hub and War mode, the leaked footage, shared by Twitter user Liam, provides a tantalizing look at a battle royale experience that never saw the light of day.  Although incomplete, it offers a fascinating glimpse into an alternate timeline where WWII could have been the franchise's first foray into the genre.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode marked the franchise’s official entry into the battle royale arena. Players dropped onto one of two maps, scavenging for weapons and fighting to be the last survivor. While fondly remembered by many, this unearthed footage suggests a similar mode was in development for WWII even earlier.

Unlike Blackout, which was tied to Black Ops 4, Warzone exists as a standalone free-to-play title.  Accessible across various platforms, Warzone receives regular updates with new content and gameplay tweaks.  It also integrates with each new mainline Call of Duty title, sharing content like weapons and battle passes.

The most recent integration with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 introduced significant changes to Warzone, including an omnidirectional movement system.  Despite its popularity, Warzone has faced challenges. Activision recently announced reduced content for Season 2 to prioritize gameplay improvements, bug fixes, and quality-of-life updates.  Season 2 is set to launch on January 28 for both Black Ops 6 and Warzone.