"Is Area 99 just a massive failure" - COD fans share their verdict on Warzone's latest Resurgence map

Area 99 is Warzone's latest Resurgence map. Fans were quite delighted when the map was unveiled at COD NEXT 2024 but found it to be lackluster upon release. It was too small and didn't provide the expected experience. Soon, players, surely but gradually, started straying from the map. It wasn't long before the map became a sporadic part of the Warzone's active map pool.

Is Area 99 just a massive failure? byu/F1R3Starter83 inCODWarzone

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Wondering whether it was a failure and what fans thought about it, u/F1R3Starter83 on the CODWarzone subreddit posed the following question:

"Is Area 99 just a massive failure?"

They asked the community whether they thought Area 99 in Warzone was a massive flop. To this question, they added the following reasoning:

"When it launched I can’t remember people being particularly excited about it. I personally felt it had some good features, but it also felt too cramped for Resurgence. Seeing how it fairly quickly got taken out of regular rotation without people being voicing their disappointed about this, is it time to officially call this map biggest failure Warzone history? And if so, shouldn’t this be more of a topic?"

They stated that when the map was released, the excitement surrounding it wasn't that high. While they do acknowledge a few good aspects of the map, they added that it was too small, even for Resurgence. They cited how the map was removed from the regular rotation, and fans did not have any issues with it. Finally, they posed the question to the community whether Area 99 was one of the biggest failures in the history of the game.

Soon after they posted, others in the subreddit joined the conversation and shared their two cents about the map.

The most upvoted comment featured just three words. u/sameolemeek stated the following:

"Yes close thread."

They didn't beat around the bush and claimed it was indeed the biggest flop in the game's history, and added that OP should close the thread at this point.

Others in the community also shared similar thoughts about the map. A comment by u/Appropriate-Sun834 read:

"Can’t believe they sacrificed Ashika for this."

It was clear that they did not like the map as well. They stated it was beyond their understanding as to how Call of Duty decided to scrap Ashika Island for Area 99, labeling the latter as the worst of the bunch. For those unaware, Ashika Island was a Resurgence map added to Warzone during Modern Warfare 2's life cycle. Although at first it wasn't liked by some, it grew on many over time and soon became one of the most liked maps in the game.

Another user joined the thread, but their criticisms go beyond just the map. u/u119c's comment read:

"Terrible map, this version of warzone really missed the mark in general. They are basically making the game more like multiplayer, fast frenetic gameplay on small maps. Id rather they went back to the Battle Royale modes on larger maps."

They started by stating that Area 99 is a terrible map, but it wasn't just the map; it was the current iteration of Warzone in its entirety. According to them, Call of Duty was focused on making Warzone more Multiplayer-like, with fast-paced gameplay and smaller maps. However, this didn't work out well, and as a result, the shooter suffered as a whole.

Similar thoughts were shared by u/cuoreesitante, who claimed that it was not just the map but the game in general:

"With the issues that the game is having in general (s**t servers, s** connection, UIs and glitches, and ofc cheaters) it doesn't really matter what the map situation is. They can bring back all the maps and it won't make a difference long term."

According to them, the game was the main problem, and the map was just a part of it. They mentioned issues such as poor server and connection quality, broken UI design, bugs, glitches, and cheaters, which are running the title.

However, not everyone was in the same boat, and some actually loved Area 99 in Warzone.

Reddit comments discussing the map Area 99 in Warzone (Images via Reddit)

While the general consensus was that the map was the biggest flop in the game's history, some showed their appreciation for it. According to xKORDAx, fans will just complain about any Resurgence map in the game that isn't Rebirth Island. Some claimed that it took a while for the map to grow on them, but they now prefer it. Likewise, it's also the primary map for u/shnoiv and their squad when they play the game:

"Our friend group still loves playing on this map. We usually rotate between this and Rebirth Island on any given gaming session to give some variety."

So, although they are a minority, the map still has quite a few fans willing to stand for it.

Area 99 is Warzone's most controversial Resurgence map

Area 99 is the latest Resurgence map in Warzone, and it joined the shooter during its integration with Black Ops 6. Initial impressions deemed it too small to host 44 players simultaneously (11 teams in Quads). This was the map's major complaint, and soon, Call of Duty decided to lower the player count on the map from 44 to 40. Even then, Area 99 wasn't able to gain traction.

Also read: Call of Duty teases the return of iconic Operator in Black Ops 6 and WZ Season 3

Soon, Call of Duty will remove other modes from the active playlist for the map, i.e., Solos, Duos, and Trios. Currently, it only features Quads. This was seemingly done to ensure that the lobbies fill up quicker and players don't have to wait long.

Regardless, Area 99 remains one of the most controversial maps in the title. Apart from the map design, the rampant rise of cheaters in the game, server issues, and more in the game have only made the experience worse, causing players to try out different maps.

For the latest Call of Duty news and guides, check out the articles below:

About the author

Rishabh is a gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who mainly covers Call of Duty and Valorant content. After completing his post-graduation in Finance, he went off the beaten track and decided to build a career in video game journalism. The opportunity to interview Valorant Pacific franchised teams back during VCT 2023: Pacific was a career highlight for Rishabh.

Rishabh prioritizes diving into the game himself and figuring out the specifics to ensure authenticity of content. He also tracks the social media accounts and blogs of developers and publishers to learn about official announcements and press releases, and cross-checks all facts even if they are derived from reputed sources.

Rishabh embarked on his video game journey in 2002, playing Contra and Mario, and his first AAA title was Max Payne 1. Currently, first-person shooter games engage him the most.

Rishabh regards streamer and esports athlete Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek as an inspirational figure since he rose from a humble background to become one of the biggest CS players and streamers in the world through sheer hard work and dedication.

Rishabh likes to keep himself updated on the latest trends in technology and listens to progressive rock music in his spare time.

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Edited by Sijo Samuel Paul