Rebirth Island is finally returning to Warzone after 16 long months, and to celebrate the iconic map becoming playable again, Activision and Call of Duty have pulled off an amazing stunt over the real-life Alcatraz prison it’s based on.
Warzone fans have been crying out for Rebirth Island’s return from the moment it was removed in November 2022, and after waiting well over a year to see it, CoD fans have reason to celebrate as it is restored in the season three update on April 3. Activision is also celebrating by flying a plane over Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, California, writing “#REBIRTHDAY” in big letters in the sky.
Call of Duty fans who lived in the area and those visiting Alcatraz as tourists posted videos and images of the marketing stunt on social media, sharing their excitement at seeing it above the notorious prison.
Alcatraz is known for being almost impossible to escape from, which makes it the perfect inspiration for a battle royale map. Like the jail itself, there’s no escaping Rebirth Island—unless you outlast everyone else.
Rebirth Island was the first map added to Warzone post-launch, offering closer, fast-paced action in its small play area compared to the iconic but massive Verdansk featured at launch. For a period, many players ignored Verdansk entirely and played exclusively on Rebirth Island, but that came to a halt in 2022.
Throughout the years, Activision and the development teams who work on Warzone have tried to recapture the magic of Rebirth Island by adding other close-quarter maps. While Fortune’s Keep and Ashika Island have their fans, neither has truly managed to eclipse the original.
Thankfully, we’ll all get a chance to return to Rebirth Island with season three, and I, for one, can’t wait.
