Scump explains why Ranked mode is needed to save Warzone vs Apex & Valorant

A ranked mode is something that has evaded Warzone for years, now, despite pleas from players from the top down — and Call of Duty legend Seth ‘Scump’ Abner thinks it could be the reason other games are starting to take over.

While Warzone was once one of the biggest games in the world, it has slowly been losing its luster in the eyes of players.

Activision reported that between Q1 2021 and Q1 2022, they lost 50 million players, attributing it to lower premium sales of Vanguard and reduced interest in Warzone.

It’s true that in recent months, many players have switched from Warzone to other titles, and notably top streamer NICKMERCS made the move to rival battle royale Apex Legends, in which he’s attempting to forge a professional career.

One common sentiment that has been echoed around the community is that the game is in dire need of a proper ranked mode — and now Scump believes the lack of one is contributing to the game’s decline.

During his appearance on the OpTic podcast, Scump spoke about the issue with fellow OpTic members Nick ‘Maniac’ Kershner, Marcus ‘Boze’ Blanks and CEO Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez.

After H3CZ said that Apex and Valorant’s ranked modes help them excel, Scump agreed. “Ranked games are… that’s it. That’s what people want to play,” he said. “Ranked equals longevity of just desire to play. Because you want to stay in the top rank and if you’re in the top rank, you get to play against streamers in the top rank. Then you’re getting your name out there.”

Timestamp 36:30

Scump isn’t the first person to say this, and he definitely won’t be the last, with a ranked mode being highly desired by the wider Warzone community.

While developers have said they are interested in adding ranked to Warzone, their focus right now will likely be looking ahead to Warzone 2, which is expected to arrive around the same time as Modern Warfare 2 at the end of 2022.

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