Microsoft has once again led the headlines in a negative way for the gaming industry with more studio closures. Since the Activision deal, there have been a lot of internal discussions on what to do with some of the newly bought IPs like Call of Duty. According to Tom Warren from The Verge, Microsoft is debating putting Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass.
The promise Xbox has made to fans was that every first-party release will come to Xbox Game Pass the same day it launches. Now that Call of Duty is a first-party game for Microsoft, the upcoming Black Ops title will likely be available on the service. That is if the rules will apply by then.
Tom Warren said the company had internal debates on whether they should put new Call of Duty releases into Game Pass.
“Microsoft has also had internal debates about whether to put new releases of Call of Duty into Game Pass. I understand this is a debate that has been ongoing internally for quite some time, with concerns from some that the revenue that Call of Duty typically generates for Activision Blizzard will be undermined by Game Pass.”
Warren talks about how there is consideration of Game Pass Ultimate increasing in price again. Nothing is final when it comes to all of these possibilities, but it seems clear Phil Spencer and the company have a lot of hard decisions to make.
With the Xbox Games Showcase happening on June 9, 2024, there have already been reports of older Call of Duty titles coming to Game Pass.
