When Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard at the tail end of last year, we were all left scratching our heads over the fate of Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass. While many suspected the beloved back catalog would eventually arrive on Xbox’s subscription service, Microsoft’s gaming chief Phil Spencer has now confirmed that new CoD games will be arriving on Game Pass on day one after all.
When asked about Call of Duty’s relation to Xbox Game Pass in an interview with GameFile, Spencer explains that “[Microsoft’s] intent is the full portfolio of games from ZeniMax, Activision Blizzard and XGS – Xbox Game Studios – [to] be on Game Pass, day one.” In other words, Call of Duty 2024 – rumored to be Black Ops Gulf War – will almost certainly be launching on Game Pass right away now that Sony’s exclusivity deal has expired. Modern Warfare 3 was the last game to be affected by the PlayStation deal, which allowed PS5 players to access betas early and have exclusive cosmetics.
This dramatic move will see one of the best FPS games and most successful franchises each and every year available at no extra cost to those with a subscription. Though this will undoubtedly bulk up the collection of best Xbox Game Pass games with the latest (and hopefully greatest) entry in the long-running series, it’s a very surprising move. Each year, Call of Duty smashes the sales charts – even with its high $70/£70 box price. Its inclusion in Game Pass raises eyebrows over how successful this strategy will be in the long run, effectively undercutting millions of premium, full-price sales on Xbox and PC through Microsoft’s subscription.
“We’re doing the back-end work to make them come to PC and console simultaneously,” Spencer explains regarding Activision Blizzard titles on Game Pass. This is likely the reason why the large collection of Call of Duty games has not already been made available through Game Pass given the widespread demand. Evidently, with Diablo 4 now coming to Game Pass alongside many other great games, progress has been made – and in time for the next Call of Duty.
Though Spencer did not elaborate on when fans could expect to dive back into the existing CoD games on Game Pass, it’s closer than ever to becoming a reality. While we wait for more details, there’s an almost never-ending supply of new Xbox Game Pass games – or even just new Xbox games in general – to sink your teeth into. In fact, there’s even a tasty sale on MW3 and many other great games.