One of the biggest unanswered questions for Microsoft is whether Call of Duty will launch on Xbox Game Pass in the future. We don’t just mean beloved classics like World at War or Modern Warfare 2, but newer entries like Treyarch’s all-but-confirmed Black Ops sequel. Now, following reports that Microsoft was debating whether to put new Call of Duty titles on the service on day one, COD’s leap to Game Pass appears to be on the cards again, as Xbox president Sarah Bond promises that “amazing things” are in the works.
During a recent interview with Bloomberg, Bond comments on the popularity of the service, as well as how Microsoft is enhancing the ever-growing Xbox Game Pass games list. Following recent claims that Microsoft was considering holding back Call of Duty from Game Pass, Bond doubles down on Xbox’s promise that players will “get every single one of our games we build day one in Game Pass.” She adds: “The quality and the breadth of those games has only been going up over time, and you’re going to some more really big games going into Game Pass this year.”
When pressed for specific details, like whether this would include new Xbox games from Activision’s library, Bond expresses that “across the whole slate you’re going to see some really amazing things.” The Game Pass debut of the long-running FPS game franchise would be a monumental moment for players, although it could come with a caveat. To mitigate the potential loss of revenue for launching a fresh entry in the mammoth shooter series on Game Pass, recent rumors also claim that Xbox is considering a price increase for Game Pass itself – the second within a year.
The road to Call of Duty’s potential Game Pass debut hasn’t been easy, with notable setbacks emerging during the early stages of the Microsoft Activision merger. Despite those concerns, Phil Spencer pledged earlier this year 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.” Now, the ultimate card Microsoft can play lies within the upcoming June Xbox Showcase.
With the next COD game set to be featured in its own Direct presentation, there’s a chance that Microsoft will explicitly confirm Treyarch’s Black Ops 6 as a day one Game Pass title. Yet, with so much inner turmoil and possibly irreparable damage to the Xbox brand right now, it might not be enough to turn player perceptions around.
In related Xbox news, former Xbox exclusive Sea of Thieves has made a major splash on the PlayStation Charts, and you can save 90% off on Hellblade 2’s amazing predecessor right now.