diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/Game.cs b/OpenRA.Game/Game.cs
index 1b05cd8591..ed516f6cb2 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Game/Game.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/Game.cs
@@ -46,10 +46,8 @@ namespace OpenRA
 
 		public static Renderer Renderer;
 		static int2 clientSize;
-		static string mapName;
 		public static Session LobbyInfo = new Session();
-		static bool mapChangePending;
-
+		
 		static void LoadMap(string uid)
 		{
 			var map = modData.PrepareMap(uid);
@@ -59,9 +57,6 @@ namespace OpenRA
 			Timer.Time("viewport: {0}");
 			world = new World(modData.Manifest, map);
 			Timer.Time("world: {0}");
-
-			Timer.Time("----end LoadMap");
-			Debug("Map change {0} -> {1}".F(Game.mapName, mapName));
 		}
 
 		public static void MoveViewport(int2 loc)
@@ -116,13 +111,6 @@ namespace OpenRA
 
 		static void Tick()
 		{
-			if (mapChangePending)
-			{
-				mapName = LobbyInfo.GlobalSettings.Map;
-				mapChangePending = false;
-				return;
-			}
-
 			if (orderManager.Connection.ConnectionState != lastConnectionState)
 			{
 				lastConnectionState = orderManager.Connection.ConnectionState;
@@ -215,9 +203,6 @@ namespace OpenRA
 				Debug("Order lag is now {0} frames.".F(LobbyInfo.GlobalSettings.OrderLatency));
 			}
 
-			if (mapName != LobbyInfo.GlobalSettings.Map)
-				mapChangePending = true;
-
 			LobbyInfoChanged();
 		}
 
diff --git a/OpenRA.Game/ModData.cs b/OpenRA.Game/ModData.cs
index 781ef9cd1d..9cd380ff50 100755
--- a/OpenRA.Game/ModData.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Game/ModData.cs
@@ -40,22 +40,27 @@ namespace OpenRA
 			return paths.Select(p => new MapStub(new Folder(p))).ToDictionary(m => m.Uid);
 		}
 		
+		string cachedTheatre = null;
 		public Map PrepareMap(string uid)
 		{
+			if (!AvailableMaps.ContainsKey(uid))
+				throw new InvalidDataException("Invalid map uid: {0}".F(uid));
+			
 			Timer.Time("----PrepareMap");
 			var map = new Map(AvailableMaps[uid].Package);
 			Timer.Time( "Map: {0}" );
-
-			if (!AvailableMaps.ContainsKey(uid))
-				throw new InvalidDataException("Invalid map uid: {0}".F(uid));
 			
 			Rules.LoadRules(Manifest, map);
 			Timer.Time( "Rules: {0}" );
 
-			SpriteSheetBuilder.Initialize( Rules.TileSets[map.Tileset] );
-			SequenceProvider.Initialize(Manifest.Sequences);
-			Timer.Time("SSB, SeqProv: {0}");
-			
+			if (map.Theater != cachedTheatre)
+			{
+				SpriteSheetBuilder.Initialize( Rules.TileSets[map.Tileset] );
+				SequenceProvider.Initialize(Manifest.Sequences);
+				Timer.Time("SSB, SeqProv: {0}");
+				cachedTheatre = map.Theater;
+			}
+			Timer.Time("----end PrepareMap");
 			return map;
 		}
 	}