With the acclaim of the multiplayer experience that Call of Duty began to offer, an equal interest was placed upon the iconic maps that the golden-era of Call of Duty boasted within its roster. Plenty of classic multiplayer maps have even made a return through remastered or reimagined designs in newer Call of Duty titles, most prominently with 2019’s Modern Warfare. However, one classic Modern Warfare 2 map still needs its resurgence as well.
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The Golden-Era Goldmine — Modern Warfare 2
Of those classic Call of Duty titles that are fondly remembered for its multiplayer maps, not many hold the same level of consistent quality as Modern Warfare 2. The sequel was hailed by many to be the greatest Call of Duty title of all time, due to its groundbreaking campaign, its refined multiplayer, and addictive “spec-ops” mode. Modern Warfare 2 had an array of iconic multiplayer maps to help solidify this opinion. Amongst its launch maps, Modern Warfare 2 had the close-quarters franchise-staple map Rust, the dynamic and layered Highrise, and a trick-shotters paradise in Terminal, all of which quickly rose to become fan-favorite maps.
While subsequent Call of Duty titles and their respective maps couldn’t quite compare, it has become an increasingly popular trend within the series to reimagine the most well-received maps of previous titles. For example, Terminal has already been re-released for both Modern Warfare 3 and even in Infinite Warfare with a futuristic re-skin, as well as appearing on Call of Duty Mobile, like so many other classic maps. Rust is another good example of a returning map, making a deserved comeback in 2019’s Modern Warfare. However, among these maps that are so often fondly remembered, lies a comparatively hidden and underrated gem: Estate.
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Modern Warfare 2’s Estate
Estate is a map from 2009’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, stemming from the setting of the infamously melancholic single-player mission “Loose Ends.” The map is unique in how unconventional it is, ditching the three-lane formula that can be found in most Call of Duty maps for a more organic and open-ended map structure that fosters more unpredictable gameplay.
The outskirts of the map encourage more long-ranged and calculated gameplay, consisting of open-ended wide expanses with densely packed woodland and vegetation, set in the Caucasus Mountains of Russia. The centerpiece of the map however, is the expansive double-story estate house, atop a hill at the map’s highest elevation. Control of this namesake building is key to combat superiority within Estate, given its high-ground situation and large scope of vision over the map, leading to intense close-quarters combat within the house itself.
With the unique gameplay and iconic setting that Estate offers, it is a genuine wonder as to why it has not returned in subsequent titles. While it is true that Estate has returned in the whacky and China-exclusive Call of Duty Online as the re-skinned Estate Tropical, it is yet to make the mainline series return that it truly deserves.
Where and When Estate Could Make a Comeback
With Estate surprisingly not having made its return in mainline Call of Duty, the perfect opportunity for its comeback may lie right around the corner. With Activision confirming that this year’s Call of Duty will be a sequel to 2019’s Modern Warfare, now is the perfect time to re-introduce the Estate map to multiplayer.
With this upcoming title serving as a sequel to the reboot that began with 2019’s Modern Warfare, it just makes sense that neglected but adored maps such as Estate be given their time to shine once more. This is only given further validity with the precedent that 2019’s Modern Warfare set with classic returning maps.
Despite 2019’s Modern Warfare launching with 10 original maps, its post-launch content saw a slew of returning maps to maintain the focus of the player base. With the subsequent seasons of its multiplayer, Modern Warfare saw the return of Crash, Vacant, Shipment, Rust, Killhouse, Hardhat, Backlot, Scrapyard, and Broadcast.
With all of these maps being fan-favorites of prior Modern Warfare titles, it almost seems unavoidable that Estate will eventually return in the upcoming sequel. With Call of Duty: Warzone 2 reportedly in development, Estate would also be a perfect map that could translate to the larger map that this battle royale sequel will most likely have. Most of the maps of Modern Warfare (2019) appeared in Warzone’s Verdansk map, so it’s not too far-fetched. Whether it’s at launch or via post-launch DLC, Estate is a fantastic Call of Duty multiplayer map that should return.
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