Since Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of massive games publisher Activision Blizzard was completed, the wider gaming audience has been wondering when Xbox will inevitably put the blockbuster Call of Duty franchise on Game Pass.
While it seems unlikely at this point that CoD would become an Xbox exclusive, given the financial return of the annual installment releases on PlayStation, putting new releases of the series onto Game Pass could be a major milestone for the reportedly profitable subscription service.
But when is it going to happen?
When is CoD coming to Game Pass?
Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch the 2024 CoD title on Game Pass, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
According to the report, Microsoft and Xbox have been weighing and debating this decision for some time. While the addition of CoD would certainly increase the value of Game Pass while attracting and retaining more subscribers, it will also likely carve off a hefty portion of game sales from Xbox and PC players.
The counter-point to this argument would be that it being on Game Pass would bring more players into the ecosystem, who would then spend money on season passes or cosmetic packs. Additionally, there is a large portion of gamers who just buy the yearly CoD release, and they will likely keep doing that than spend more money per year on a Game Pass subscription.
The release of the 2024 installment of CoD lines up time-wise with the rollout of the new 10-year deal to keep the series on PlayStation, as the current deal set to expire likely keeps the game from coming out on Game Pass.
With the new CoD set to launch on Game Pass in 2024, this potentially also opens the door for past releases to make their way onto the subscription service as well.
