Warzone’s latest Operation Monarch event was a step in the right direction, but misleading marketing made it a disappointing experience.
One of the most important aspects of a live-service game is its ability to keep players engaged for long periods of time. This can be done in a multitude of ways, but a common trend is to implement limited-time events that aim to attract players. Call of Duty: Warzone, one of the most popular free-to-play live-service games, has heavily relied on its seasonal events, most recently with the implementation of Godzilla and King Kong. The event, titled Operation Monarch, launched on May 10 and allows players to battle alongside the massive monsters. While the event itself was intriguing and fun at times, the marketing leading up to Operation Monarch was highly misleading, due in part to the fact that King Kong and Godzilla don’t fight one another at all. Instead, the two beasts simply wander around the map, aimlessly, which has sparked a major sense of disappointment. The Operation Monarch event sends 60 players to Caldera, with the goal of being the last squad standing. The catch is that Godzilla and King Kong — known as Titans in-game — roam the island and can take players out with ease. As you collect loot and damage the Titans, you’ll earn intel that eventually accumulates and turns into rewards such as a Loadout Drop, Gas Mask, or even a controllable killstreak that allows you to actually command the two creatures (which is admittedly really cool) to attack other players. The mode itself has a slew of problems, but right out of the gate, the most egregious issue is that King Kong and Godzilla don’t battle one another, despite the trailers making it seem like that’s what would happen. Many fans expected it to play out almost like one of Splatoon’s Splatfest events, wherein the community has to pick between two teams — in this case, Team Godzilla or Team Kong — to battle it out for the duration of the event.
