MW3 Ranked Play new maps trial run ends, but they could return soon

A trial run of new maps in Modern Warfare 3’s Ranked Play mode has come to an end, but community sentiment around their potential permanent addition seems positive.

Vista and Departures, two new maps added as part of MW3‘s season two update in February, recently received a week-long map evaluation period in the Ranked Play ladder. The maps have plenty of fans for specific modes.

“The MW3 Ranked Play map evaluation has concluded,” said Treyarch, the main developer behind Ranked Play in MW3. “Vista and Departures have been removed from ALL competitive game modes. Thank you for your feedback and gameplay data! [The Call of Duty League] and our teams will discuss findings and share an update after the launch of season three.”

It remains to be seen what the gameplay data says on Treyarch’s end, but replies and posts on social media seem to lean in the direction that many believe Vista is great for respawn modes while Departures works especially well for Search and Destroy.

Current maps in the pool such as Invasion and Terminal are candidates that fans want to see replaced, but in the end, the decision comes down to those in power at the CDL and Treyarch. So for now, the map pool will remain the same for the time being.

Since Ranked Play uses the same maps, modes, and rules as the CDL, it would likely take an official replacement or addition in the pro league’s map pool for either of these maps to also come to the in-game ranked variant where players can rank up to prove their mettle each season.

A decision about the two maps will come after the start of season three of MW3, which begins on Wednesday, April 3, but would likely have to come before the CDL’s third Major qualifiers kick off on April 12.