The Last Dance in Verdansk is closing Warzone’s first chapter with a ‘historic’ twist

Brad Norton
The Last Dance in Verdansk announcement artwork

With Verdansk’s time in the sun winding down, Warzone tournament organizers at BoomTV are gearing up for the biggest sendoff possible. Not only is the Last Dance in Verdansk putting $150,000 on the line, but its hosts are also preparing a spectacle “that has never been done in the esports scene.”

When Warzone dropped into the battle royale conversation early in 2020, it quickly became one of the hottest gaming properties on the market. As the competitive scene began to flourish, dozens of players were able to change their lives for the better thanks to a near-endless stream of opportunities.

North of $6.5m in total prizing has been doled out in the 19 months since Warzone’s release, with new events emerging on an almost daily basis. Throughout this run, players have called Verdansk home. 

The map that started it all during the Modern Warfare era, and later saw a few significant overhauls in the Cold War transition, has been the backdrop for all of Warzone’s most iconic moments. But now, it’s time in the spotlight is drawing to an end.

With the new Pacific map fast approaching, BoomTV and Activision have collaborated on an epic finale to give Verdansk one final moment of glory. Dexerto spoke with the team behind this highly anticipated event to learn more about the big mystery that awaits for the final day of competition on Warzone’s original battleground.


The Last Dance in Verdansk – Key details

  • Prize pool: $150,000
  • Dates: 
    • Oct 20: Qualifier #1
    • Oct 21: Qualifier #2
    • Oct 27: Qualifier #3
    • Nov 2: Main Event
  • Regions: North American residents only


One big mystery in Verdansk

The Last Dance in Verdansk was made public on October 12. With the Main Event shrouded in mystery and the playerbase restricted to NA residents only, many began to speculate just how this final showdown would come to a close.

For some, LAN seemed to be a safe guess. What better way to send off the first chapter in Warzone? “As much as it would be an absolute blast, it’s not a LAN finals,” BoomTV’s Cory Sobon informed us.

Despite this, “something big” has been in the works for quite some time nonetheless, he teased. “It’s something that has never been done, at least to my knowledge, in the esports scene.”

“I honestly think there’s a couple of things that haven’t been done before in Warzone that we’ll be doing with this event,” Marketing Manager Dakota Harding added.

Not only is this spectacle being hidden from the general public, but it’s also set to be “a surprise for the players as well.”

Warzone map
Verdansk has been the stomping ground for Warzone’s top talent since day one.

So what actually is this big mystery? It all started when Activision approached the experienced crew of event hosts at BoomTV. 

“Activision came to us and said hey, we have this absolutely ridiculous idea,” Sobon recounted. “We don’t know if it would even work, can you please either talk some sense into us, or tell us we’re ridiculous.”

After a few weeks of strategizing and “building out” some rough plans, BoomTV came to realize “not only was it doable, but doable on a larger scale than originally presented.”

“The original idea came from an Activision employee who was wondering what to do to say goodbye to Verdansk. We’ve gone through a few ideations and this is where we landed.”

Exactly what ‘this’ is, is still a tightly guarded secret for now. “The only people that know are those on the Activision team and our team internally.”

Though we were able to confirm this intriguing concept won’t involve any “in-game changes” to Verdansk itself.

Something ‘more’ on the line?

Warzone stadium gameplay
Although map changes are off the table, winners could be treated to something entirely unique.

With Warzone’s finest set to clash in one last Mini Royale on Verdansk, the hosts remain hopeful they can surprise players in more ways than one.

Not only will the event itself come with a few twists, but perhaps even the rewards too. Beyond the hefty $150K cash prize at stake, Duos may be able to “earn something a little different to what they’ve earned before,” Sobon explained.

Warzone Pacific map
The Last Dance in Verdansk serves as Warzone’s final major event before we transition to the Pacific map.

The first set of puzzle pieces will be laid out later this week, though it won’t paint a full picture. The full mystery of Verdansk’s final tournament will allegedly keep players guessing until the Main Event gets underway on November 11.

“Tuning into the finals will be worth it,” the event organizers added. You can keep up with all the latest results and announcements right here with our Last Dance in Verdansk hub.

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About The Author

Brad Norton is the Australian Managing Editor at Dexerto. He graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and has been working full-time in the field for the past six years at the likes of Gamurs Group and now Dexerto. He loves all things single-player gaming (with Uncharted a personal favorite) but has a history on the competitive side having previously run Oceanic esports org Mindfreak. You can contact Brad at brad.norton@dexerto.com