The REAL Reason they Ended DMZ..

Why did they end DMZ? Whats going to happen next?
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[@Clarence_Leo-jr6dg]

DMZ is the best gaming experience that I’ve ever had. I have spent a lot of hours, and a lot of money on it. To see what’s happening makes me angry. I get even angrier when I think about the$70 that I spent for MW3. I feel duped that that the game makers waited so long to break us the news, or lack there of, about DMZs future.

[@Antody]

Same here, getting MW3 just made DMZ launch slower since you have to make more clicks now. It's sad how this game mode just got axed, and it feels even worse for developers who were working on it and actually enjoyed playing.

[@Adam-pk7go]

Forgive me for saying it, but their completely silence about dmz within cod next, all mw3 content posts, and just in general, it gave off the impression that there wasn’t going to be new content. At the very least it was extremely unlikely and not to get your hopes up. While the lack of complete transparency sucks, I don’t think you should have bought mw3 with the expectation that dmz gets updated when there were zero mentions about support for it. Especially with it not being tied to the paid game to begin with, and with mwz essentially acting as its replacement. It’s fair to be frustrated that they are ending it though. My guess is that infinity ward’s next game will expand on it.

[@aaronth2796]

For sure-wish we could get a refund

[@learningideas]

Me too. Pissed off I wasted money on mw3. I’m sure there was a post saying they would keep DMZ going for mw3

[@neXib]

If you didn't see it coming you are an idiot, sorry. DMZ is Infinity Ward's baby, why would they be involved now with just support. I think they are working on a full proper free DMZ to stay alongside Warzone tbh.

[@misterpi3.14]

The only thing that was frustrating for me about DMZ is that I started late in the cycle, so by the time I got to the missions that couldn’t really be easily solo’d, I hit the mission wall. Everyone I filled with just wanted to grab hunt contracts and go fight so no one helped me out. If I tried to go solo, I’d get hunted rather quickly. So the mode devolved into basically PvP only. Which was fun, dont get me wrong.

[@SumGuyLovesVideos]

finding teammates who are mic'd up and wanting to run missions is the rare loot now!

[@MikeM.1971.GenX.]

)

[@theprofessional155]

Getting rid of 6 man squads actually encouraged more griefing because players were more likely to kill everyone not work together. Think about it. If you can only add one extra player in someone will leave and betray their squad. I formed 6 man squads so we could get missions done and no one would mess with us. We wouldn't go jumping players but I met some really cool people on it. Its a shame as an Open World Gamer it was my favorite COD mode of all time.

[@eyedentity1849]

No idea you played DMZ! Didn't see you livestream it much, nonetheless, a huge fan!

[@mitch6651]

This is the problem, people talk about their ‘idealised view’. Pre-made 6 man’s were everywhere and they were toxic. The only way to keep 6 man’s would’ve been to nerf them into the ground. I think the real problem is they took to long to adapt, by the time they changed the 6 man teams they had sat on the issue too long and a culture amongst the players had formed.

[@vhg8638]

Dropping the 6 man squads was a major mistake. It was honestly fun dominating other teams and having them join up also completing missions in 6 man teams was so much more feasible.

[@JoeHasaPlan]

Really? It sounds like you just couldn’t handle getting smoked without having a 6v3 advantage

[@theprofessional155]

@@JoeHasaPlan the 6 mans prevented griefing as you could find another squad and then it was very hard to wipe you out . I tried to do missions most of the time not PvP

[@ahmedkotb8792]

My problem with DMZ is exactly what you said. I am a casual player. I don't sit down and play everyday even. I have a full time job and a family. when I play, some times I play solo or with my friends who are like me. we got tired of people coming after us for no apparent reason even though we're not playing warzone. I wish they had made a mode where we could just play and the PVP would be limited to certain missions only.

[@brooklyngemini3410]

THIS COMMENT IS EXACTLY WHY DMZ FAILED ...

[@danjjjatest]

@@brooklyngemini3410 No the CoD community failed DMZ. Extraction shooters always have PVP.

[@BigSparkzy]

Then extraction shooters might not be for you bud, you'll enjoy MW3 zombies though, PvE only with the same extraction mechanics.

[@JUSTGLAZE420]

there should be no such thing as a mode that is not PVP in a game that was made for PVP and has survived solely off of PVP since its creation.... it's a shooter not a hugger, the threat of operators is what makes the mode exciting !

[@JUSTGLAZE420]

I also have a full time job and a family, I'm 40 and maybe play 1-2 hours a day (if that) sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but it's always exciting.... mw3 zombies is the worst and most boring fps experience of my life

[@davidbaughman9726]

I would gladly pay a monthly subscription fee if that’s what it took to make DMZ feasible long-term. It’s by far my favorite game mode out of any game I’ve ever played.

[@DiscoStuLikesDiscoMusic]

Absolutely

[@xhsxspectre]

Did you buy anything from the DMZ store?

[@Teknobry]

Agreed!

[@KristopherG3188]

I would pay if it was cheap. Unfortunately they would probably charge something outrageous like 20 a month.

[@DiscoStuLikesDiscoMusic]

Game designers need to get together and create a perfect extraction shooter without interference by the big name game companies

[@jflood02]

The weapons case got me hooked on the game. It should have been seasonally updated. It was easy to understand and randoms could go for it too. The haunting event was a great send off and had that same feel for a moment.

[@user-ut5qx5kn1t]

Yeah I liked when it gave new content the rewards for weapons case exfil it was more fun in season 1 the lack of reward killed the contestants

[@forthesnowflakes7691]

You pretty much nailed it on DMZ that most content creators do not get and that is the unbalanced game play for solos or beginners (players who did not start from launch). The Division's Dark Zone had similar issues and solved this issue by making players who want to PVP flag themselves on the map.

[@kapnkrunch6833]

Like I disagree. My best games are when I don't have weapons. It's all skill sure some people start with a UAV some have weapons on cooldown. But with half a brain the game is far from unbalanced.

[@forthesnowflakes7691]

@@kapnkrunch6833 with a half a brain the game is far from unbalanced? Your explanation didn't even make sense or relate to why you think it's even unbalanced. I just articulated how it's unbalanced and you just said some of your best games are when you have no weapons but this says nothing. Lol. When the game mode is PvEvP but some players will just play it as PvP then it's is unbalanced bc the etiquette between players are unknown. But more importantly the game rewards pirate game play which is toxic. The unbalanceness of starting with no weapons is not the point. The unbalanceness is the unknown etiquette between players trying to complete missions and being hijacked by a squad of PvP players. Speak on that....

[@-Whuka]

I don't think ballance really mattered in the 6 man days. Chances of res were higher and that gave less experienced players the opportunity to squad up and learn the ropes. Flagged pvp is a good thing imo

[@Die_Graue_Eminenz]

The Darkzone did only work (and also not Work) because of persistant instances. You could go back and, rechallenge and get your stuff back. Which also led to people ganking everyone with lower rank and/or gear at the entrances. Imagine that in a CoD mode......no thank you

[@forthesnowflakes7691]

@@Die_Graue_Eminenz you cannot go back in the same DMZ servers so not even a problem here. But going back in after switching up gear for a counter to whatever rogue were running was actually exciting.

[@Dragonphreak]

Your first point is my experience. I'm a solo player, with a kid and a busy career, I don't have the scheduled time needed to play at regular times. I played a few rounds of DMZ when it came out, but when I started to be unable to exfil and getting punished by 3 man teams over and over again, I stopped playing and uninstalled. I like the concept, but hate how there is no incentive for players to play more cooperatively.

[@gabyrocha4467]

I stopped playing DMZ with season 6 with the Halloween event. That wasn't for me, but I will get back to it soon when the friend that I play with is on break from school! I can't wait to go back. I made so many new friends in DMZ, got so much cool things done, and really became an overall better gamer thanks to DMZ and your videos. Nothing feels quite like when you are in the middle of a crazy fight and end up besting your enemies. Good times. Sad that they've done it such a disservice.

[@leighz1962]

Completely agree. Haven't played CoD since BO2 and bought MW2 to play DMZ with my bro.. and then found out it was free. Definitely not getting mw3 for typical 6v6 garbage or dmzombies.

[@dajourwilliams6402]

Bruh the night time mode was the best especially if you had black noir skin to blend in

[@fury1617]

DMZ has so much potential left on the table, it's baffling to see DMZ left to it's own devices

[@brooklyngemini3410]

No it doesn't... That's why it's dead... Geez u people will say anything whether it makes sense or not

[@fury1617]

@brooklyngemini3410 it could of had these including QOL updates, trading, crafting, base building like Vigor for passives, karma based PVP, solo only mode, PVE only mode for difficult missions, assimilation changes set as a truce system, better in game tracking for passive upgrades, more rewards for completing missions such as skins for operator's and weapons, leaderboards, the list goes on, it's only lowered in player population because it doesn't sell pay2win skins, do you even play DMZ or enjoy DMZ? If you don't like it, it doesn't mean it's a bad mode. The gap in the market is there for a more accessible extraction shooter. Care to rephrase your comment to actually provide substance. Your comment doesn't even make sense, "whether it makes sense or not"

[@jesse76th96]

The weapon case era of dnz was the best. It made everyone feel connected and i had some of the craziest moments during that time

[@jflood02]

💯

[@FlyBoyJo1994]

DMZ was relaxing at times and fun. Missions weren’t a big thing to me but when they added weapon customization it made it more fun to build weapons in a match. You and Westie got me into DMZ and I’m grateful for you both. I hope to start playing again and DMZ will be one game I start.

[@brooklyngemini3410]

Why would anybody play a dead game tho

[@ShrimplessScampi]

​@@brooklyngemini3410 They just said exactly why they'd want to play a "dead game" but I guess your question was rhetorical lol

[@AlisTyrone]

@@brooklyngemini3410you never go back and play an older game from time to time? The game is only a year old also.

[@Antody]

@@brooklyngemini3410 and how is it dead, bro?

[@truexlxwin]

@@brooklyngemini3410 same reason people still play doom 1993 and ghosts n goblins 1986 bud.

[@CarlosHernandez-hh6mf]

You nailed the ins and outs of DMZ. Speaking as an old timer (I’m 60 years), DMZ attracted older guys like myself. I’m pretty good for my age group and it’s the only game mode that I found where you can actually think and really really work together as a team. Your regular CoD modes are fast and fun but there no thinking involved. You younger guys might not feel as I do, but DMZ is the only game that is different in every outing. I’ll keep playing it until they kill it.

[@poopooeater]

Nice story sir

[@morganW2012]

I'm 55 and the last video games I played was arti 2600 lol I bought a ps5 and mw2 found dmz and play all week...

[@MrRoleyMole]

As a solo player, your points about how they didn't focus on the solo experience at all is spot on! The insured weapons ruined a lot of the experience for me. There was very little reason to use contraband weapons.

[@danjjjatest]

Contraband weapons were useful for secondary/backup weapons.

[@TheRealSpicySucc]

insured weapons ruined the rarity of weapons. what the point of contrabands when I can make a better version of it for free with no risks. Also dmz need a market, everything feels useless

[@RoadSparrow]

That's crazy because not having insured weapons at the launch is what made me quit. Nothing ruined the game more than being killed (half the time my game would just crash because MW2 crashed a lot when it first released) in the first few minutes of going into DMZ then having to spend hours getting just your loadout back. By the time I had everything back I wouldn't have anymore time left in the day to play after work. Almost none of the contraband weapons had a suppressor which was vital for fighting AI which in turn attracts other squads to find you and hunt you easier. I quit before they had extra insured slots because I got fed up with all the time gating.

[@ianwie3455]

Exactly half me lost round are crashes or get locked out or timed out with now reasons.

[@MrRoleyMole]

@@RoadSparrow When they finally added the ability to modify contraband weapons that's when they became useful and you could add suppressors. But that system should have been there from the start.

[@SirTheoTheWhite]

DMZ will only die if We let it. Keep playing and having fun! It’s an enjoyable game and your experience is different almost every time you play. It’s a bummer that the developers will not be fixing the visual bugs in the game but that will not prevent me for playing and having a good time. Hope to see you guys on there! Maybe one day I may even bump into Stod & friends on a server. I’ve always enjoyed your DMZ videos.

[@roryb5512]

Lets keep it going!😊

[@stewills9711]

Yeah shame about the visual bugs, but ill still be playing. Think its far superior to WZ.

[@jessedv5915]

just started playing recently and it was fun but i cant get any missions done cause of the pvp, for most people i think zombies will be better cause you can just chill and do your own thing , the best part for me was exfilling weapons and i cant even do that cause of the damn snipers

[@stewills9711]

@@jessedv5915 add me, ill always help out with missions where possible 👍 willsy1980

[@lacyron]

@@jessedv5915 To bad you missed the DMZ at the beginning. We could REALLY work on getting our missions done BEFORE Season 4 came out and ruined the best part of the DMZ, mixing missions with a little PVP. After Season 3 it was all PVP.

[@baldiejsd]

Makes me laugh there still selling DMZ bundles

[@cheatox1]

U mean mw2/wz2 bundles or tbh its all the same game now

[@cheatox1]

What bundles are dmz only ? Never heard so

[@reggie7716]

​​@@cheatox1dmz bundles have a dmz operator slot, usually a spawn bonus, 2 plate vest, uav, self revive ect. Also weapon blueprints with reduced cooldown times for quicker turnarounds if you get wiped in a match. In the store the DMZ focused bundles have the green "DMZ" logo in the bottom corner. The bundles work in warzone as well but they are clearly marketed to DMZ players.

[@ImThatDude719]

​@cheatox1 the ones that offer 15 min cooldown or gear. They sold us items that can't be used anymore.

[@gametroxide]

@@cheatox1 Yea some bundles will say “DMZ” and if equipped will give you certain items depending on the bundle you got. Ex: “always start with a 2-plate armor vest”; “always start with a self revive”; etc. and this is because if you die without extracting well you loose your shit. These certain operators will always have those equipped even when you die without extracting. Expect similar bundles for Zombies 😎

[@kyleerhard9284]

I LOVED DMZ as a solo player, but when 6 man platoons started it was impossible and toxic to the point where, as a Solo player every game i would get hunted and robbed and trash talked. Either I join the group that kills me or I get left on the ground. Maybe i just wasn't good enough but it wasn't fun anymore and i eventually stopped playing DMZ

[@remydrapersigma8401]

Players like yourself makes more than 70% of DMZ. Now we can all see why DMZ is dying.

[@kyleerhard9284]

@remydrapersigma8401 your right! I get 1 hour a night to play. Switching to mwz has made my solo game play fun again. The only toxicity I've experienced in mwz is people stealing my vehicle when gassing up and coming to loot after I clear an infestation 🤣

[@gcoxmass]

end of an era, sad times

[@linushsiao1693]

The reason I really started to play DMZ is actually the Serpentine camo (Yes I actually love it.) But then, DMZ became my favorite mode since it’s quite chill (at least I haven’t encountered super experienced killer teams many times). I can focus on missions, helping random teammates and surviving rather than killing everyone on the map. The intensity of it is just perfect for me. I’m careful between rounds but not super afraid of playing it. Another weird thing I like to do is to build my own gun into a contraband weapon. I like to take ground loot weapons during raids, build them and extract them.

[@pas50cal-63]

Really loved your dmz content. Im done with cod and the sbmm crap. I really hope that somehow a good battlefield game like bf3 or bf4 is in the pipeline but i dont see it happening anytime soon. Im gonna have a go at simracing because shooters are Just meh these days.

[@user-ob7kd8id9l]

U are literally me bro 😂

[@JasonStrope]

What an amazing video, Stodeh I absolutely love DMZ & so glad that so many great content creators cherish DMZ the same. That action movie reference is what I say to friends describing the game mode so that is so true. I always say that each game of that could at any point turn into the craziest cracked out Micheal Bay action scene that a game can give is & THAT is what hooks us. Thank you Stodeh & Westie for playing a part of the funnest awesomest year of gaming that I ever had & hoping to see the occasional DMZ stream so don't forget about what ya said. I been following your videos for what seems a decade going back to the Battlefield 3/4 days & I was a huuuuge "Battlefield vet" sweat, but what we got from DMZ (for our tastes) was the best (I think).

[@gssngr]

GG on the DMZ content the last year! It was a lot of fun to watch and hopefully they bring a refined version back in the semi-near future. Can’t wait to see the WZ content!

[@Kwik_on_YouTube]

Great video. I really enjoyed completing the missions to unlock rewards. The things that made me quit were the 6-man squads, hackers and invisibility glitches.

[@rosedrr]

You hit the nail on the head, for me more Solo support would have been huge! I had no desire to play solo and only played when my buddies were available to play so my time in DMZ was considerably less that I wanted it to be. It is still my favorite mode and am very sad to see it go... at least for now.

[@steel8240]

100% spot on regarding new/casual players, player retention and monetization. These are the things that brought an end to DMZ. Outstanding video (as always)

[@brooklyngemini3410]

When the cheaters showed up dmz died..... Blame the cheaters and the fact the bots were never optimized ..... Beaming u from across the maps, not giving u plates for half the map ... It was a scam mode which is why it never left beta

[@GamerDesdeLos90s]

Wrong... It was the toxic gang 3vs1 fights. It was the fact that people just ignored all of DMZ mechanics and focus only into killing any player on their paths. It was the exfil campers. It was the tons of players that weren't good enough for warzone that brought the toxic cloud with them. Devs could've added solo only-lobbies. They could have added PvE only DMZ but they didn't. Now look how massively successful MW3 Zombies is. A place were you can have lots of fun, as a solo player or with a group, it doesn't matter and best of all you don't have to worry about toxic players killing you from a bush or camping at buying stations, in fact its the complete opposite, in zombies there are tons of moments where people help you, revive you or just straight up drop you a 3 plate just for fun. Extraction shooters are super sweaty and attract the worst and most toxic player base ever. Glad they are getting rid of it!

[@TheRealSpicySucc]

cope, warzone has pvp and it didn't fail. DMZ was just shallow@@GamerDesdeLos90s

[@Schmetterwurm81]

I don't know. I started at day one, DMZ brought me back to CoD and I remember all to well how I was with my buddy on the airport and we met another duo. They were both ghillie suit and before I saw them my friend was already down. I screamed "Friendly, friendly!" and they were like "Sorry my mate panicked for a moment". So I revived my friend, we asked them what they are up to and parted ways. This was Season One.

[@remydrapersigma8401]

DMZ would have survived if the game was able to keep numbskull players out.

[@karsaders9989]

DMZ with the prox chat, just is the most chill experience at times. Like I loved how you can just form the most unlikely alliances with people that you try to kill

[@siddharthpandian7289]

Thanks for all the amazing DMZ content over the year. Always loved ur sniping videos from warzone 1 & before. So looking forward to seeing many more years of amazing content and warzone 3

[@thesoundofviolence630]

Cheers Stodeh loved all the DMZ content. You were a big reason why I got so into it.

[@Lord_Flashheart_]

I wish they had taken the time to interact and listen to the DMZ community and streamers like yourself. This game has so much untapped potential and you’ve perfectly summed it up in a 11 minute clip! Thanks to you and Westie for the past year’s viewing, it’s been emotional….just like a round of DMZ! 👍 Hoping for a mission wipe, but I’ll be playing till they switch it off!

[@vueltaskelter414]

Loved playing DMZ and watching you, Westie and a few others play it. I would’ve liked regular really good skins and camos to grind for within DMZ. And the restrictions you mentioned for big teams. I still play it solo as I like the strategies but it’s packed with toxic squads and unfriendly solos now.

[@foundbygaming4207]

You should checkout Arena Breakout. It has everything DMZ was supposed to have. Medical system, Hunger & thirst levels, limping animation, stash, gear fear, traders, market economy & it's accessible & casual for those who don't have PC. They just should've put it on console..

[@KevinWilliams]

Great summation! They had minor misses in strategy for an otherwise great game - they could release it stand-alone paid and fix the issues and have a real winner, but they gave up instead. I played solo for a few weeks, kept dying to large platoons so fast that I lost all contraband and insured and would have to go in with fists, so I gave up. Solo vs 6-man hunter squads was just not viable. 100% agree with your points about solo play.

[@quietdude0001]

Great video on the pros and cons of DMZ very indepth. I hope the devs will view this video. Never played COD until being inspired by watching Stodeh and Westie play back in February. Got lucky and purchased a ps5 in March. Mostly solo because im in my 50's hard to find players who are focused on the missions. Hated being wiped out by teams who were not doing the missions and campers at exfils. My suggestion keep playing the game. That will send a message to the Devs players are not going away. Or do an old school method and write a letter to infinity ward😂 I know I will. Appreciate your gameplay and your witty sense of humor Stodeh.

[@alexritter5307]

Seasons 1 & 2 were so memorable!! I’ve never played a game that literal got my heart rate up because of intensity and knowing you might lose all your stuff! I would feel shakey playing B21 when it first dropped 😅. Love DMZ. DMZ forever. I HATE warzone it’s just a stupid arcadey sweat-fest. Like oh, bummer, I got shot in the back again… DMZ had so many organic moments and shootouts that were tactical and so much fun

[@chriskalapodcast]

Same here! Heart pumping like I dont know what. :D

[@notagoofy3766]

I remember season 1 in exfil when killed a whole squad with my hands lol 😆 I don't think any new that you kill players in the chopper 😅😂

[@SomeGuyNotKnown]

Stupid arcadey sweat-fest? Being bad would be a you problem, not a WZ problem.

[@chriskalapodcast]

It's totally fine to have different opinions on different topics or games. You might love it, you might be good too - thats all fine. I also dont like WZ, boring as fuck and also too fast gameplay for me, meaning I am not so good at it as I might be in DMZ, thats also totally fine. Both our experiences are valid, hence there is no right nor wrong. It's what suits you best! @@SomeGuyNotKnown

[@bigsexy442]

How hard would it have been just to have a soloton infill experience, they did this mode so dirty and its a real shame. Hope it returns in some shape or form in the future because it really was such an awesome unique experience.

[@FromWitchSide]

I had some really great narratives in squads, but the tension of going solo is on another level. However what ruins it is a hunt squad contract, that is the only thing I truly fear in game. I have to specifically go around the map and pick them all up, wasting a lot of time in the process, if I want to amass some money during the round. They even still show up on Ashika from time to time, a map where you can't play solo without the Stealth vest, and where I would just outright remove possibility of buying Advanced UAV. As it is now, Vondel is the most solo friendly map I think - a lot of corners, staircases, short vision lines, navigating broken AI which will hamper squads, waterways, water vehicles (great for keeping away from hunt contracts), plenty of scuba masks - generally a lot of outplay potential for 1vs3. Al-Mazrah has outplay potential of holding major points, changing sniping angles, and big rotations which is great for squads and platoons fight, but not really for solos (even when Stodeh did some amazing rotations and plays alone, he was alone, but wasn't solo - enemy squad was holding other's bodies rather than pushing). Also I can deal with bots since they have been broken in Season 2 I think (they were first made harder in mid Season 1, but they somehow broke the AI behavior in 2 if I recall it right), but the new player experience is somewhat ruined by them. Not to mention I've seen how hard it is to understand all the mechanics, even just starting screen with all the missions, contraband, item stash when my friends were trying DMZ. There was so much explaining needed, they couldn't remember most of it. Anyway, thank you for all the content. I will be still playing DMZ, its too much fun even when half broken, I don't think I can go back to Warzone, Zombies have no appeal to me at all (did too much of such Zombie games in past), and I don't feel like playing regular multiplayer either. Hence I won't be spending any money on the game, and probably once I finally end with DMZ it will also mean quitting CoD altogether. I mean, at this point DMZ is the only thing that keeps me in franchise. I won't necessarily go for extraction shooter though, I'm not the biggest fan of them, and I can't be bothered with Tarkov, it was just the DMZ that worked for me.

[@user-ob7kd8id9l]

Well said

[@Drix_76]

I started playing DMZ back in March. I didn't know what I was doing, but after watching some of your videos (and Westie) it quickly became my favorite game! I play solo almost always. Thank you for all the cool content and showing me what it's like to be good at this game! 😂 🍻

[@zeroforkgiven]

This is a great breakdown Stodeh. You and Westie both have what I would call the "levelheaded" take on the death of DMZ 1.0. I have 1000+ hours in DMZ and under 10 with Warzone. I never even played the campaign as I was having too much fun even in those early days of DMZ. It IS the gameplay I have wanted for a long time for online first person shooter style games. I am not sure Warzone 2023 will hold any appeal for me - but I will give it a try. However, from what I have seen of Zombies I do not feel I get as much enjoyment out of it. I haven't purchased MW3 as I have waited for the DMZ question to be answered. Now that it has, I have to say I do not see the reason for me specifically. Thank you (and Westie!) for your coverage of this game mode!

[@calebhoward4869]

I’ll say as a DMZ player with 800 successful extractions, I am extremely enjoying MW Zombies. So far for me it has been completely worth the price tag, doesn’t mean it is for everyone though. If PvP is what you’re after it is not for you. I will say though, overall the MWZ player community is very friendly and does an awesome of helping each other.

[@Nazrat84]

"The last thing you expected when playing DMZ for the first time is being beaten off by a 6-man team" Excuse me?? I beg your pardon???

[@costas4058]

u haven't had fun in years with cod in years but DMZ and specifically the area under the map you were able to go to with ur team made the game for me

[@TeodorDevcioglo]

for me right now,dmz is just perfect. it doesn't need any changes. I have been playing dmz since the launch day and I stopped playing when they added assimilation with other players,thus I was pushed very often by 6 men chinese or russians,but when they reduced the max squad size to 4 I am back again.

[@RuggedCreative]

3:24 that list of “problems” or “negatives” was the most spot on thing I’ve heard all week. Everything you said was exactly how so many of us “casual players” felt. I gave DMZ a go when it first came out and did missions and contracts with 10 straight extractions and thought, this is so much fun. If you ran into another operator(s) you could 9/10 times just say “friendly” and it was all good. Then in a matter of mere days it seemed, it just turned into Warzone and, like you said, was completely and utterly not fun. 5 straight eliminations and I gave it up and never went back. Infinity Ward or Activision or whoever is completely to blame for not making this different than Warzone. It could have been such a unique game within a game, but nope, PvP all the way! SMH.

[@AbraCaStabra]

That's how almost all these things go. The moment you add the ability to kill other players, people will just PvP. It's funny seeing people in MWZ still trying to PvP until they learn that they can't.

[@Elitefatal24]

​​@@AbraCaStabrawhen I learned the PvP was not in MWZ I just wanted to give a 🖕to all the trash players who ruined my DMZ experience

[@TheFallinhalo]

@@Elitefatal24 when i learned MWZ wasnt going to have PvP i was fully onboard, and erased any doubt of the mode. i enjoyed DMZ's mechanics.....for all the 3 matches i actually tried, all of which i was killed mercilessly by groups of players who didnt have a second thought less then 10 2 times less then 5 mintues into the match, they saw me, and instantly opened fire, no care if i was doing missions, fighting AI or even if i had any valuables. they just killed me and went along maybe checking my body once. when that happened 3 games in a row, i instantly turned away and said "ya fuck this game mode, you wont be seeing me again" now im on MWZ and having a fucking blast, and i cant help but get excited for that modes future, and 2 of my friends are loving it and dont even want to touch DMZ with a 20 inch pole. 2 other friends are interested in getting MWZ and never tried DMZ dont have interest after hearing whats become of it. it doesnt help that my experiance with these PvEvP modes was completely soured by the endless suffering i had to endure in the Divisions Dark Zones, (less so with Division 1's due to how big the map was to avoid rogues who were also constantly being location pinged on the map so i can tell what areas to avoid) imo these PvEvP modes NEVER Work and only ever devolve into PvP lite or PvP players hunting solo's/PvE for easy prey and making them feel like their someone.

[@silent_fungus]

I really enjoyed watching you all play the DMZ mode. I hardly ever played it due to being a solo and not standing a chance against squads.

[@jmy0616]

DMZ brought me back to cod for a few weeks and I loved every minute of it.

[@azwolf0429]

Learned sooo much watching you and the boys playing DMZ. It was honestly the thing that got me back into COD after many years away. I liked the challenge (as a solo) it presented and the exclusive things you could earn there. Was not much of a pvp fan unless I had no choice but it was fun to take out an over aggressive try hard or team up with another solo to help them out on a tough mission. I didn’t like getting washed by six man teams and definitely didn’t like the pay to win implementations. I did buy a few DMZ operators but only for the slots… hoping we get something from someone soon that will fill the gap whether it’s from the CoD verse or not.

[@ShrUmzZ]

ive played dmz more than any other gamemode my favorite part was playing solo and wiping braindead 6 man teams but the 2 biggest problems ive had with the game is the ai being way too op at random times you had to have a self revive to survive and the biggest downside to the game is that nothing had value other than a exphil streak

[@gawdzalien2811]

Sad to see DMZ disappeared, id like to see a revamped version

[@reggie7716]

Dropping DMZ has been one of the mosr bizarre move activision has made, and the have made some strange decisions.

[@BGB1983]

For me, it was the 6 men. Made it pointless trying to do high end missions when they were just steam rolling the lobby match after match. Did Tier 5 in Season 1, about Tier 3 Season 2 then stopped.

[@ChiefBallChinian]

Remove the wallet and make insured slots to were they had to be purchased it would slow the beginning of the round down and make things like keys and looting more valuable you could even keep the cool down timer and 15 min packs just make insured slots to be purchased not just obtained when spawning in take the contraband stash way down in numbers it would change the experience completely and more would be able to get started instead of catching snipes 30 seconds into a round

[@TheUltimateHacker007]

Agreed on the insured needing to cost money. Even spawning in with a 3 plate should cost money and just explain it like durability repair. Every lethal and tactical should cost money. When you have nothing left, all you get is a pistol

[@zeroforkgiven]

Make insured slots the draw for completing a seasons worth of missions. Wallet is fine, but bring the value of items inline (which they tried to do by making UAVs, etc much more expensive). Operator packs with DMZ value really did skirt the line of "pay to win" in this area. I like the idea of a DMZ mode that borrows from the Division where you have areas of PVE and PVP on the same map. I wouldn't mind if they explored that for Warzone/Zombies/DMZ.

[@mrande913a]

Completly agree. Right now there is no gear fear and if you spawn in with randos, people just rush spawns and get killed. It's so lame that no one cares about missions, bosses or doing anything besides PVP. Love DMZ but the current state is not going to be fun in the long run

[@danjjjatest]

The wallet system was actually the best edition to DMZ. Losing all that cash every game made doing missions feel pointless and sometimes you just want to buy simple items like a 2 plate vest or a Stronghold keycard instead of grinding out for literally everything. Especially now that we got pay to win bundles, it levels the playing field.

[@ChiefBallChinian]

@@danjjjatest but grinding it out would slow the beginning of the match down

[@dieterdengler]

I never would have played DMZ. Stod and Westie are the only reason I gave it a shot and I’m glad I did. RIP DMZ

[@kevinclapson]

My experience was nearly the opposite; it started out quite fun and then became a pain over time when the sweats who wanted to pubstomp or were too chickenshit for WZ saw how popular DMZ was and migrated into the mode and started ruining the experience. I do agree with some of your criticism, but honestly the mode was never designed around people that can/do sink the amount of hours that streamers sink into it.

[@rockon41]

As a solo DMZ player who only started playing because of your videos, I agree completely that the game never provided a balance between the solo and squad experience. If they're going to be in the same server, than solos should get, say, a replenishing UAV or full squads get permanently marked on the map, that way you have a heads up when a squad decides to ride through spawns at the start of a game and kill everybody in sight

[@Enemy_Operator2534]

What about solos that rush spawns, baits and wipe squads? Isn't that the same?

[@user-qd7yl2fr1y]

Thank you Stod for that informative and intelligent break down of the reasons for the abandonment of dmz 🤑 and its pros and cons. For me dmz is still the only mode I care about so will continue to play, mostly solo or with silent foreigners 😉 Thank you for all the fabulous content and I look forward to following you into the future 👍

[@seancccccccc]

Spot on about solo experience… PVP “squad” players should haven been marked on the map more often…

[@user-vp9or1qv7l]

To me the best experience regarding extraction shooters was in The Division 1 in the expansion "Survival". At first you needed to find clothes to survive in a snowstorm in manhattan. So I found myself running around, finding shelters to get warm again and find some new clothes. Of course always in the risk of meeting other Players in an area full of aggressive NPCs. I learned to enjoy DMZ more and more the more I learned about it. The basic crafting added a nice layer, too. So hopefully there will be some refined version. I really like those kind of games.

[@28mrdetroit]

Well said, Stodeh. I agree with everything you've said with some additional thoughts. What has occurred for me is the loss of purpose like you mentioned with the weapons case. If you lose the will for progression, then it's solely PVP. Also, I believe that the continued support of DMZ wasn't going to happen. They had to push the new zombie mode for the additional income requirements seeing that a new dev group has produced zombies. I mean, why would they want people spending time in Dmz when a new paid game from a different dev group has been released? Looking forward to the future. Long live DMZ.

[@DMZforeverOG]

I would have paid £100 for a DMZ DLC than a £70 zombie one. You and Westie made me discover this game mode through your content and have played everyday ever since season 1 video. I am grinding to complete the last few upgrades and then will create a new account and do it all over again just because that's another years content for me and the boys....just hope the next code has no zombies in a DMZ format.....I don't care if I have to pay for it because that's what we want so sell that instead of zombies. No one is interested in the campaign cz once youve completed it you never touch it again. Keep doing what you do and will still watch your content 👍

[@czolgistta]

The biggest issue was in fact what is the essence of such games -> you die and lose all your equipment and have in fact very little chances on your next play to kill other players. And it stops being fun when you have to grind 20 minutes to get a 2 plate vest and can only use picked up weapons, because your own is on a 1 hour lock. And the solo playing being way too difficult against 4 men squads + making certain missions extremely difficult or long to complete.

[@Zachdubs]

Well said Stod. Gonna miss this mode more than anything. Hoping something like this comes along again some day.

[@Boondoxx]

I hope modders can make a separate modded version and maybe eventually even a standalone title, the way modders did with games like Arma and DayZ or even Half Life and CS. I played every COD from COD4 up until WZ 1 Season 3 then quit from the repetitiveness of it all... Then DMZ was announced, I was more into a more tactical hardcore shooter such as EFT, but got burned out from the learning curve. I ignored DMZ up until Season 6 and regret every second I missed playing. This is the most fun I have had in a game probably since I was 11-12 playing OG MW2. The learning curve isn't daunting, movement and gunplay is super fun, and each exfil offers something new. Such a shame, but unfortunately not surprised. Long Live DMZ.

[@cisnky]

Thank you for the excellent summary! I'm now at a crossroads. I was hardcore multiplayer until DMZ came around, and once the DMZ beta switches off, I'm not sure what I'll do.

[@antonvoltchok7794]

Play zombies, it’s basically DMZ but much more fun

[@DanielDavies32]

iv been a dmz only player.... iv played five games or warzone 2 and 1900 ish hours of dmz , i dont have the other modes i havnt bought the game.... i was going to buy mw3 for the other modes but without dmz i have no reason to buy it the other modes i went on trials the three day trials they did now and then and although a good break from dmz i wouldnt play them enough to warrant making the purchase... im currently looking into making a pirate version of dmz but dont know where to start really is there not any freeware games developers who can just clone it and us have done with cod devs forever

[@spliffingrat5469]

check out hunt showdown. its not the same as DMZ but if you like extraction shooters, its IMO one of the most underrated games.

[@Kingme3144]

​@@antonvoltchok7794zombies is a snooze festival stop it. It's brain numbing just pack a punching guns and running in circles shooting bots over and over. There's not even a real reason to have other teams on the map and exfils feel forced. The pvp from dmz made there an actual sense of danger when you were doing contacts and missions. And final exfil shootouts are elite. Even little stuff like joining up or being betrayed by players makes there so many layers to the game. Saying zombies is better is just a lie considering it's just a watered down dmz

[@brentblake1070]

@@antonvoltchok7794 PvP on DMZ is way more fun than Zombies. If they added that to zombies I would care

[@0xscoopta]

damn this is a bummer to hear, i loved dmz. stopped playing in june when i got a puppy and i didn’t have as much time to play and couldn’t keep up with changes/updates

[@Sasparillafizz]

Awesome video Stodeh, thank you. It was obviously way too successful for the COD franchise to leave it alone and hopefully some of those folks will watch your video. Gotta think DICE watched how popular DMZ was (hopefully saw your first video as well) and would think they'll try again...so certainly down the line we'll get some new options, but it'll be a while it seems. Solo (mostly) occasional player and the last 3 seasons I would spawn in and work my way around the outside of the map to avoid the player hunting groups while doing missions and always avoid final exfil and (except for the night mode) regular exfil's as as much as possible...too many camping teams just waiting to clean you out as your leaving after all the work. Doing zombies now, but will certainly go back to DMZ and play some at some point...still had alot of missions and goals to achieve.

[@iJobama]

Really got burnt out on it by Season 5. It was the new content that kept me going and when they stopped the content flow, I just gave up for Warzone and Multiplayer instead. Maybe in a couple of years we will see it return. As long as they can iron out the bugs and rework the mode, I'm sure it can be successful again in a few years

[@Jimmy-fi8gg]

What killed it for me, as the perfect example of the casual player (I can only play on weekends for a few hours), is that the player base turned it into a PVP first game mode. When players came into the game to focus only on killing other players, that completely ruined the experience. A PVP on/off option would have saved it for me personally.

[@-The-Cake-Is-A-Lie-]

8:26 I knew he couldn't resist saying "beat off" at least once lolllll thank you for the video sir, love anything DMZ related! ✌️

[@Anti-Villain-Wolf]

This was the first extraction game I played and I enjoyed it a lot. I only had 3 real problems with it. 1. The time limit/radiation spreading is really annoying. I would have liked if they didn't have that and allowed you to stay as along as you wanted, or at least given us 45 minutes too stay before the radiation spread. 2. Not allowing us to keep things we've collected like kill streaks, self revives, etc. Not just the ones we had in their dedicated slots, but let us keep and use extra ones we collected in deployments where we know we're going to use them. 3. No focus on solo rewards, which you covered.

[@Mister_G_Point6969]

R.I.P DMZ you will be missed!!!!!!!!!

[@brooklyngemini3410]

By who, Activision says the same 300-350 people played.... Proving nobody liked it

[@Section_58]

DMZ rest in PISS wont be missed LMAO a mode we never asked for

[@hajopedean8689]

killing 6 man’s as a solo duo / even w my 3 man was extremely fun and literally got me jittery to be completely outnumbered . Best heart palpitations i’ve ever felt . Played 7 hrs a day when dmz was in its prime ..when they did away w 6 mans and stopped uploading new content i went back to ranked wz and multi . had a 88% finished missions & 70ish percent in passives . PVP was like 1/3 of every run i had

[@Sur-Ron]

Never really got into DMZ, getting killed and hunted by other players while trying to do missions just got too much. I'm quite liking zombies though... Even finished all the missions before you and Westie

[@SnakePlissken901]

by far the best summary of the DMZ saga.

[@davidtaylor4652]

Completely ruined by ratty pvp

[@Cj1500]

I played DMZ 99% solo. It was the easiest way to complete the missions, even though they were clearly not designed for one player. However, being solo made it a thousand times easier to move around, evade and avoid PvP and collect rare items needed to progress. The biggest downside was getting ganked and having all your hard-earned progress taken away from you. It made a majority of the player base in this game mode feel like incredibly selfish, heartless and thoughtless vultures.

[@lacyron]

"It made a majority of the player base in this game mode feel like incredibly selfish, heartless & thoughtless vultures." Absolutely agree!

[@SnakeDoctor303rd]

I think there’s another reason that’s more obvious now…. They’re closing DMZ because they know they’re gonna have to FORCE people to play MW3 cause it’s so awful.

[@bassimprovjams3772]

I think you nailed it with this video, hopefully they take this experience and can build on it,

[@JoeyJordisun]

Too much drama with that dmz. DMZ is done and mwz is way more fun

[@itsmeprasad1987]

You think so or hope so

[@woovs101]

Zombies is lame bro... without pvp it will never stand up to dmz

[@amdiz]

Yeah, well, that’s just like your opinion man.”

[@fully_factcinated5193]

@@amdizThe Dude agrees

[@bryanyork4225]

@@amdizHahaha! Agreed!

[@Fabio-zc7bs]

DMZ peaks were during release where people wanted to team up and were nice to each other and when they released the Vest Crafting. I remember going for licor and bandages do get vests quickly after dying.

[@SBEdits]

I never even played DMZ and found this interesting. Pass this onto the devs, seriously.

[@Pwnda25]

I liked the idea of DMZ, but going up against 3+ people on one team felt really bad. A solo playlist would've been perfect

[@jazzyjeff832]

DMZ is the the first game/game mode I’ve played on a regular basis for ages. Loved it! Missions were interesting and rewarding, Stodeh is bang on with the wallet system which kind of removed that need to do missions. Personally right now I’m playing Vondel a lot more, I don’t think it’s a great map but there are far less sweaty squads in Vondel. Al Mazzy is now just a run for your life mode! Thanks for the great DMZ Memories Stodeh, it’s been great watching you, Westie & Phixate team up.

[@haxjohn]

"Like an action movie" Exactly!

[@singingPanda420]

I am so glad to hear you will still play DMZ albeit occasionally. DMZ is my favourite mode in COD and I am sad to see it go.

[@imtoolazyforaprofilepic4961]

I still remember how Sally was bored out of his mind with DMZ but loved Zombies so much that he actually used his dead second channel to play it

[@pollitogp]

DMZ is amazing… it is like an action movie… and you are the main character… A very boring round can rapidly change into the most wild fight ! There is nothing like that at the moment to replace DMZ. But… It Does not generate money.

[@-007-Warzone-MW3-MW2]

Last i played died right away and my own teammate watched me die instead of reviving me then took all my stuff. Moments Like This Have Killed The Game

[@randybuhr3818]

Having never played warzone before I found DMZ, this mode appeared to be like an open world online spec ops mode. That was my first impression lol. Boy was that rough!

[@jrprevost8894]

100% agreed, if DMZ does not fill that need for a casual extraction shooter something else will, players need/want a casual extraction shooter to play with their friends of various level.

[@MrWitteh]

Stod, I found your channel early on in my experience with DMZ. I have always found your content to be top notch and really admired your “walk softly and carry a big stick” in-game ethic. I am sad the game we both love likely wont become what we had hoped, but I am optimistic. I will keep following your channel for when the next great extraction shooter drops! Thanks for all you have done for the DMZ community.

[@divadrolyat]

Your content is always top-tier and your game play style aligns exactly with what we’ve all been looking for. The cheeky exchanges with players who “shoot first”, your clear desire to see a “karma” based reward system that punishes “bad sport” and actually drives people to work together, and your keen interest in having fun! The next game needs to be just that. Fun, relatively easy to get into, and most importantly have longevity in entertainment. DMZ hit most of the high notes, I just wish the developers would pay more attention to the influencers like your group who quite frankly represent all of us. I’ll be following you into the next game Mr Stodeh et al! Keep up the fantastic work 😊

[@TWEEMASTER2000]

as a solo player i quit DMZ when the 6 man platoons would run around merking everyone in sight. i just had enough of getting ambushed at exfil and just quit

[@TWEEMASTER2000]

it was legitimately too stressful and I already got mad psychological damage so stress just makes everything really really bad for me. At first it was fun, but that gave way to people getting bored of PvE and just wanting to PvP in Building 21 with fire shotguns, it's just boring and not fun, the metas outside B21 were okay, but I'm not a sniper and I don't like sniper rifles so I learned how to play around snipers and get'em with an AR but, you can't do that when 3-5 other people are guarding said sniper.

[@BushWookie603]

I'll keep playing DMZ. But I haven't spent a penny on warzone 2 (DMZ) since they release the first comments about it not moving to mw3. I had a deep feeling they would end it like the way they did. I love DMZ, this is a hard hit.

[@bagmar]

I remember this game you mentioned... I loved those og games with Tomo. l still remember when you guys were doing a mission with a short barrelled shotgun, and Tomo wiped the team with that gun, then let one of the guys live. I've been subscribed to you ever since. I've been playing CoD since it came out in 2003 (I was 9 at the time). I've also played all sorts of games like WoW, LoL, tarkov etc... I'm also a massive fan of souls like and other single player focused games. When Warzone 2 came out, I've tried it with my friend and we've had some fun. Then we tried DMZ.. and boy oh boy it was epic. There were so many bugs that they were addressing for months, still though, we've loved the pace, risk, pvp, and missions. The last time I remember having so much fun with my friend was in Remnant from the Ashes coop(try it people). We were literally playing dmz basically every day after work like kids for nearly a year. Never ever before has any game addicted us to that extent. My friend criticised me for buying a couple of bundles in League of Legends years back, he hated microtransactions... now he has 15 operators in DMZ which won't even get a mission wipe nor new content. I will miss you guys. Cheers!

[@hars6888]

DMZ was by far the most innovative and creative FPS game mode I’ve ever played. CoD was definitely getting old with Warzone and multiplayer and it was so refreshing when DMZ launched. Can’t believe this is the end. I’ll keep playing until it disappears for good. Thanks stodeh and Westie!

[@TheMingilator]

me and my buddies used to play dmz regularly but with every wipe I lost another player who didn't have the time to spend grinding missions to unlock wepaon slots and all the various upgrades, I think some degree of continuity between wipes would have helped with retention or even a reward for completing x% before the wipe i.e. an extra operative slot in the next season, I continued to play and thoroughly enjoyed missions and passives, gaining all the upgrades, and now it's fun to go in and fight other teams, at the moment it's very much a warzone but with more player friendly rules for rezing

[@carljames9654]

Best gaming i've experienced in a long time - now DMZ is gone I have left warzone

[@jamesdinner8802]

Right now I'm still playing and loving dmz. It's an amazing game and as long as you Still enjoy it then it's worth sticking with it

[@seancccccccc]

Great video Stod!

[@ksoma14]

I was enjoying DMZ until the missions lasted. It was great to have some PvP but not always as in BR. It was fun grinding missions with friends (even multiple times).

[@EastCoastINC]

Very well said Stod. 100 percent right and incredibly well articulated.