Call of Duty devs explain why they use weapon codenames in patch notes

Joseph Pascoulis
warzone operator firing STG44 in Season 3

Call of Duty developers have officially revealed the reason why they use codenames for weapons in the patch notes.

Warzone is in its fourth season, and the devs have been giving weapon codenames since the very beginning. This has always baffled players as they are unaware as to why the developers don’t just use their in-game names.

Luckily, two devs have revealed why they use codenames for weapons, and the answer may not be much of a surprise.

In response to a player’s tweets regarding the use of “Asault Rifle Charlie” and “Assault Rifle Hotel” in the patch notes, two developers provided insight into the question.

According to the Sledgehammer Games Communication Manager and Treyarch’s Associate Director, the reason Activision uses codenames for weapons in Warzone is for “legal reasons.”

The devs actually can’t use the official names, and it seems they actually feel the same as players when it comes to the codenames, with Sam Leichtamer saying that it’s “very confusing for (the devs) too.”

In another tweet, developer Matt Scronce agrees, saying that he doesn’t like it any more than players do, but for “legal/licensing reasons,” it is necessary.

Well there you have it, that’s why your favorite weapons in Warzone have codenames in the patch notes. For more, check out what loadout NICKMERCS beat his Warzone kill record with.

Image Credits: Activision

About The Author

Joseph is a Senior Writer at CharlieIntel specializing in shooters - Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Overwatch. He also enjoys Souls-likes, the Resident Evil franchise, and Tekken. After writing for KeenGamer, he joined CharlieIntel in 2021. If Joseph isn't writing about games, then he's most likely playing them. You can contact him at [email protected].