This past week Activision Blizzard began teasing its next Call of Duty release. At the same time, leakers across the industry spoiled the surprise, sharing official assets for Call of Duty: Vanguard, which aims to take a WW2 theme and add a unique spin. Among the leaked information about Call of Duty: Vanguard is a key aspect of the game that Call of Duty multiplayer fans will want to know about. News has leaked about Call of Duty: Vanguard's launch maps, of which there are many.

The leaked information comes from reliable insider Tom Henderson, who reports that Call of Duty: Vanguard will have a massive 20 maps available at launch - with a catch. Setting aside the catch for a moment, Call of Duty: Vanguard is set to feature 16 maps designed for 6v6 multiplayer. That alone is twice the number of 6v6 maps that launched for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and significantly more than what most Call of Duty games deliver.

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As for the additional four maps, those are particularly interesting. Henderson says that those four maps are for what he describes as a new "mini battle royale" mode that will have similar mechanics to Warzone. Why Call of Duty: Vanguard will feature this new battle royale mode, as opposed to it being added to Warzone, isn't clear. However, if it's going to be available at launch with four maps, then it must be something Activision Blizzard sees as a feature that could prove to be a game seller.

One interesting detail that Henderson shared is that, up until a few weeks ago, he was told that Call of Duty: Vanguard would only have 8-10 6v6 maps. He says that there's been a "massive ramp-up recently" to double that number of maps. He doesn't speculate regarding why this might be, however. It's possible that Activision Blizzard had the maps ready but wanted to save them for seasonal DLC, only to decide they'd be better for launch.

16 maps instead of 8 maps at launch does appeal to certain subsections of the Call of Duty player base in different ways. For example, it creates a more diverse field of play for esports, which could prove beneficial to the Call of Duty League. It's also more appealing to the casual Call of Duty player, who won't grow as bored if there's a lot of map diversity on day one.

To be fair, Call of Duty: Vanguard has yet to be officially announced, so it's possible that Henderson and other leakers have their information wrong. At the same time, it's possible that Activision Blizzard's plans have changed. Regardless, Call of Duty fans should maintain some skepticism on this massive amount of maps, including a new battle royale mode, until Call of Duty: Vanguard is officially unveiled.

Call of Duty: Vanguard is rumored to be in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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