Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s upcoming Warzone battle royal mode is currently the worst-kept secret in gaming. Modern Warfare’s recent Season 2 update included a tease for a new large-scale mode, then some Warzone imagery leaked on Reddit, then the mode’s full map was also revealed. So yeah, Warzone is definitely happening, but when can we expect to start playing?

　　Well, according to new information from the reliable Andy Robinson at Video Games Chronicle, Warzone is still at least “a few weeks away,” with an early-March release being most likely. Of course, new CoD content and updates usually drop on Tuesdays, so you might want to mark March 10 on your calendar.

　　Warzone will be a free download for all Call of Duty: Modern Warfare players, but, interestingly, VGC indicates the mode will also be released as a standalone free-to-play game. Those who download Warzone will, unsurprisingly, be able to “upgrade” to the full Modern Warfare experience for a fee. Of course, none of this has been officially confirmed yet, but again, VGC usually delivers and this all seems plausible enough.

　　If successful, Warzone will likely continue to be a long-tail “third pillar” for the Call of Duty brand, with Activision continuing to update the experience as new “premium” CoD games come out. Not a bad business plan, I have to say. Fortnite and Apex Legends are great at getting players to pay for battle passes and cosmetics, but they don’t have a premium game they can direct hardcore players towards – that’s something only Activision will be able to offer for now.

　　For those who haven’t been keeping up with the latest Warzone rumors, its expected to support up to 200 players and include a mix of familiar features, like Apex Legends’ ping system, and elements lifted from traditional Call of Duty multiplayer, like Killstreaks. Much like Black Ops 4’s Blackout battle royale, Warzone’s map will include a lot of familiar landmarks, as its map stiches together several classic CoD battlegrounds. As a reminder, here’s what the Warzone map looks like:

　　Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is available now on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. What do you think? Excited for Call of Duty’s latest kick at the battle royale can? Or will you be sticking to Modern Warfare’s more traditional battle royale modes?