Is Call of Duty coming to Xbox Game Pass? When Microsoft first began pursuing it’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, many assumed using Call of Duty to bolster Game Pass was one of their goals, but things have changed since then. Game Pass growth has slowed, badly missing growth targets, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer has admitted there’s a ceiling to its success. While some Activision Blizzard games like Diablo IV have been added to Game Pass, recent reports suggested that Microsoft was still “evaluating” whether to do the same with the headliner that is Call of Duty.
Well, it seems the big decision may have been made. According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft will indeed be bringing 2024’s entry in the Call of Duty franchise to Game Pass. This should be announced next month at the big Xbox Games Showcase. Of course, Microsoft has not confirmed this, so take it with a grain of salt for now, but the Wall Street Journal isn’t in the business of spreading baseless rumors.
Needless to say, putting Call of Duty on Game Pass is a major risk for Microsoft. As we recently heard from former 343 Industries PR head Brad Hilderbrand, releasing titles on Game Pass on Day 1 causes them to “badly miss” sales targets. Now, to some degree, the damage might be contained if Game Pass was only on Xbox, but this also has the potential to hurt PC sales. It should also be mentioned, that during the lengthy Acti-Blizz acquisition process, Phil Spencer hinted he’d be up for CoD on PlayStation Plus, too. All that said, if Microsoft is still committed to Game Pass as an idea, maybe it’s time to throw that ultimate Hail Mary. It’s going to be hard to stuff this genie back in the bottle if it doesn’t work out though.
For those who haven’t been keeping up with the series, this year’s Call of Duty is being developed by Treyarch and is expected to be a continuation of the Black Ops franchise set during the Gulf War. In other words, this ought to be a pretty big entry in the series, and a heck of a way to potentially launch the “CoD on Game Pass” era.
The Xbox Games Showcase where the next Call of Duty will be revealed takes place on June 9. What do you think? Is bringing Call of Duty to Game Pass a good move or is Microsoft strangling the golden goose? If it happens, will you still pay for CoD or go the Game Pass route?
