Microsoft plans to release the coming installment of the "Call of Duty" videogame to its subscription service, in a departure from its longtime practice of only selling the title independently, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.
10.05.2024 - 11:17 / ign.com / Sarah Bond / Will
Xbox president Sarah Bond has indicated Microsoft will launch 2024’s Call of Duty game straight into Game Pass.
Earlier this week, The Verge reported that Microsoft was still debating whether to release this year’s Call of Duty, reportedly a Black Ops game set in the Gulf War, day-one on its subscription service. The same report claimed Microsoft is mulling a Game Pass price hike, too.
Microsoft has faced tough questions around the potential cannibalization effect of Game Pass, particularly on games that launch on the service day-one. While Xbox executives have insisted sales can be boosted by a game’s presence on Game Pass, some publishers remain unconvinced. Unlike Microsoft, console rival Sony does not release its new exclusives straight into its subscription service.
Call of Duty, of course, is another matter entirely. Having splashed out $69 billion on Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s gaming business is reportedly under increased financial scrutiny. This is one of the factors cited in reports surrounding Microsoft’s shock decision to shutter Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall studio Arkane Austin.
Will Microsoft risk negatively impacting Call of Duty sales by releasing the game day-one on Game Pass, or risk upsetting Game Pass subscribers by failing to do so? Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg’s Dina Bass at Bloomberg Tech in San Francisco, Xbox president Sarah Bond strongly suggested Microsoft has decided to bite the bullet and release Call of Duty 2024 straight into its subscription service. While she failed to namecheck Call of Duty, Bond said all Xbox games will release day-one on Game Pass.
“We know our core users love Game Pass,” Bond said. “Game Pass is a gaming subscription. You get a whole portfolio of games, but importantly, you get every single one of our games that we build day-one in Game Pass, and the quality and the breadth of those games has only been going up over time. You're going to see some more really big games going into Game Pass later this year.
Bond was then asked if this included Activision games. “Across the whole slate,” Bond replied. “You're going to see some really amazing things. And keeping that as something that is really special for Xbox players is central for us.”
That’s a clear sign that Call of Duty 2024 is a day-one Game Pass title, but of course it will also launch across Xbox, PlayStation, and PC as a game that can be bought outright, too.
With Game Pass subscriber numbers failing to grow meaningfully Microsoft is under pressure to attract new customers, and adding a mainline Call of Duty game at launch will no doubt help with that. But Microsoft is also under increasing pressure to reverse its gaming fortunes amid collapsing console sales and
Microsoft plans to release the coming installment of the "Call of Duty" videogame to its subscription service, in a departure from its longtime practice of only selling the title independently, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.
Microsoft is poised to add the newest Call of Duty series entry to Xbox Game Pass.
It’s been several months since Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard was finalized, and even though the latter’s catalog of titles has started making its way over to Game Pass with Diablo 4 kicking things off in March, there hasn’t been any real clarity on whether Call of Duty in particular is going to follow suit. Now, however, it’s being reported that concrete details on that front will be officially shared soon.
Microsoft will release the upcoming installment of the Call of Duty franchise to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service at launch this fall, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Microsoft intends to put its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard to use by releasing the next Call of Duty game directly on its Game Pass subscription service, the Wall Street Journal reports. The WSJ says the plan will be announced at Xbox’s annual summer showcase on June 9.
Microsoft has reportedly decided that, yes, Call of Duty 2024 will launch day and date into Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft is reportedly planning to put the unannounced 2024 game on from day one. The move is supposedly meant to shakeup Microsoft’s videogame sales strategy and is expected to be announced at the Xbox Games Showcase held next month.
Microsoft has reportedly decided that 2024's Call of Duty (which is widely believed to be a new Black Ops game) will launch on Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft will soon announce its intention to release this year’s mainline Call of Duty game straight into Game Pass, according to a new report.
Microsoft has announced new titles coming to Xbox Game Pass in late May, which includes Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Immortals of Aveum, Lords of the Fallen, and more.
Amid reports of Microsoft internally debating future Call of Duty titles coming to Game Pass, Xbox president Sarah Bond has reiterated that all Xbox games will launch on day one for the service.
Xbox president Sarah Bond has responded to some of the criticisms faced by the company in the wake of its recent decisions to shutter a bunch of development studios, laying off employees in the process. In an interview with Bloomberg, Bond referred to the decision as one made to ensure the health of Xbox as a business.