The recently added red doors in Call of Duty: Warzone seem to be so powerful that they can transport players to entirely different games, or at the very least to the incredibly meme-able intro of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Even after nearly a full decade since its launch, Bethesda's massively successful action RPG continues to have a lasting impact on the online gaming community, particularly when it comes to the prolific memes that spawned from the title. Comparatively, Activision's free-to-play battle royale installment in the Call of Duty series has only been out for a little more than a year, but it has still managed to generate a fair amount of meme material in its own right.
On June 17, Warzone's fourth season launched and the game received a patch to update the title for new content. One of these fresh elements is red doors in several fixed locations across the battlefield that act simultaneously as a warp system and loot source. Upon passing through one of these mysterious doors, players are treated to some unique and colorful visuals before appearing in another location.
Reddit user Aetherei decided to take this concept even further in a comedic video they posted online. Instead of appearing somewhere else on the battlefield, Aetherei goes through one of the red doors only to end up in the opening cutscene of Skyrim instead. This meme was one of many spawned from the Bethesda title and like many of its fellows has somehow managed to endure on the internet for years.
Most of the lasting Skyrim memes come from gameplay elements that most players encountered on a frequent basis. Literally, every single player that at least started a playthrough of Skyrim can understand this reference, which likely aided in its longevity. "Arrow in the Knee" and "Someone Stole Your Sweetroll" are just some of the other notable hits from the many that can in attributed to the Bethesda title.
It is remarkable that Skyrim's meme-abilty has managed to survive nearly a full decade, which is somewhat unheard of in internet lifespans. Those memes are so prolific that they expanded beyond the game's fanbase to enter the broader pop culture. Though they do not appear as frequently as they once did, they are still alive and well. "The Skyrim Opening Meme" fits perfectly with how the Call of Duty: Warzone red doors operate and there will likely be many similar memes to spawn from them. Perhaps Skyrim will manage to make a few more appearances if that ends up being true.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Source: Aetherei/Reddit