Call of Duty’s DMZ mode dropped alongside Warzone 2.0 in November 2022, and it proved to be a relative success. It’s Activision’s shot at an extraction shooter game, and for the most part, it has been delivered quite well. Recently, one component of DMZ – a challenging area known as ‘Building 21’, appears to have been locked down, with one user receiving a message telling them that they need to own Modern Warfare 2 in order to access Building 21.
That’s a big problem, as Building 21 is a key part of DMZ, which is itself a core component of the Warzone 2.0 ecosystem – which is totally free to play. So, if it were to suddenly be locked behind a paywall, hiding top-tier gear and challenges from players that don’t stump up the cash, there would be a huge issue in the community.
Not Again – Please, Not Again
In recent weeks, the Call of Duty ecosystem has come under fire for the ‘pay to win bundles’ that were released into the in-game store. Following the purchase of these limited edition bundles, players unlock exclusive perks for Warzone 2.0’s DMZ, including a permanent, ready-from-the-start UAV, among other things.
And of course, it was content that could only be unlocked with cold, hard cash.
On Twitter, one user posted an image reportedly taken from email correspondence between them and Activision’s Player Support channel. In this communication, it was stated that:
To access Building 21, you must first purchase Modern Warfare 2. If not, only the regular DMZ is available to you.
That was enough to send some fans over the edge, but it was quickly addressed by Activision and Co. on the team’s Trello development board. On the board, it was explained that Infinity Ward is ‘aware of an issue preventing some Warzone players from accessing Building 21 in DMZ when encountering a missing DLC pack message’.
There’s no reference to the paywall that Activision Player Support claims exists, though.
So, let’s wait and see how long it takes for Building 21 to be reopened, right?
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