The multiplayer modes of Call of Duty have grown to become the most defining element of the franchise over the years, with 2007's Modern Warfare really pushing the boundaries of the series' multiplayer and establishing the formula that players know today. The maps of a given Call of Duty entry play a massive role in the kind of impact and overall legacy it can have, with a select few maps becoming iconic mainstays of the IP.
Some of the most famous Call of Duty maps include the likes of Shipment and Rust, yet the Black Ops franchise has its own serious contender with Nuketown, which was first introduced in 2010. The popularity of Nuketown has seen it receive various variants and re-releases over the years across a range of Black Ops titles, appearing in last year's BO6 and being equally likely to appear in 2025's CoD release. Discussion was recently had over what a larger version of Nuketown might look like if the map were to ever be expanded in another CoD, and there are many potential high points and pitfalls that this approach could have.
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An Expanded Nuketown Could Be Revolutionary or Redundant
The Black Ops sub-franchise has gotten plenty of use out of Nuketown since its original portrayal, with the small-scale symmetry and unique setting of the map being conducive to a lot of re-designs that have appeared throughout every single Black Ops entry. The many different forms that Nuketown has taken over the years have covered things like Christmas, Halloween, the future, Chinese New Year, and more, though the overall feel of the map is becoming quite predictable, with some fans wanting a change.
Nuketown's most recent major portrayal came within Black Ops 6 and, while fans were initially glad to see the map's return to the title, others have criticized Treyarch and Activision because of how predictabie Nuketown's returns have gotten, and how the map itself fosters things like spawn-trapping. 2025's Call of Duty release is heavily rumored to be a direct sequel to 2012's Black Ops 2, meaning that Nuketown is just as likely to appear in this year's project, and an expanded version of the map could be a good way to avoid retreading the same territory like every other Black Ops has done.
Rumors suggest that 2025's Call of Duty will possess many remasters of past Black Ops maps for its launch roster, making it seem very likely that Nuketown will appear in some capacity.
An obvious way to expand Nuketown would be to open up the boundaries to involve the entire town, as opposed to the brief sectioned-off streets and opposing houses that fans have become deeply familiar with over the years. Parts of Nuketown's history have already played around with this idea, with Black Ops 4's Alpha Omega map and Blackout's Nuketown Island both showcasing expanded portrayals of Nuketown, evidencing just how successful this approach can be for the iconic map.
An Expanded Nuketown May Usher a New Era For the Map
The core 6v6 multiplayer of Call of Duty has yet to adopt this expanded approach for Nuketown, and a version of the map that includes a much larger section of the town could be a fascinating way to bring a whole new dynamic to the iconic location while creating more medium-range combat engagements and gameplay opportunities. Of course, this would also do away with the spawn-related criticisms of Nuketown's current state, while making the franchise feel less reliant on direct remasters.
There is a risk that this expanded version may lack the same star-power as classic Nuketown, however, and a poorly received expanded version of the map could be a big fumble for the likes of 2025's CoD. The effort behind an expanded version of Nuketown may be better placed into creating an entirely new experience to avoid the potential distilling of what has made Nuketown so iconic to begin with, although an expansion could just as easily give a new lease of life to the fan-favorite map if handled correctly. Still, just as some players are tired of seeing Nuketown time and time again, others would be devastated if it's layout were altered in such a drastic way.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 25, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- IW 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- FPS
