Xbox is putting all of its cards on the Game Pass front as it plans to release the next Call of Duty installment on the subscription service at launch.
The report comes via the Wall Street Journal in an exclusive that claims an official announcement from Microsoft is planned for next month’s Xbox showcase, planned for June 9.
It’s an interesting move that will see a typically premium game sold at around $70 available to gamers on a monthly subscription fee of between $9.99 to $16.99. Game Pass has been heralded as one of the best values in gaming, allowing you access to over 450 titles, many of them major hits including Grand Theft Auto 5, Lies of P, and Starfield.
Meanwhile, PS5 and PS4 players will have to pay full price to experience the next Call of Duty outing.
Game Pass hits the trenches
Call of Duty’s next major hit is set to grace the ever-growing Xbox Game Pass catalog on launch day, which has still yet to be announced but should land sometime toward the end of 2024. With its incredibly large fanbase, one that corrals several different series and a battle royale experience in Warzone, Call of Duty on Game Pass could be huge for Microsoft and a major blow to PlayStation players.
Modern Warfare 3, the last Call of Duty installment released in November 2023, managed to eke out the second spot as the best-selling game of the year behind Hogwarts: Legacy. According to Gameindustry.biz writer Christopher Dring, nearly 72% of all physical UK sales of the game were primarily on PS5.
Thus, PS players account for a large portion of the Call of Duty player base. It was a pivotal part of the debate surrounding Microsoft’s $75.4B purchase of Activision Blizzard, which concluded on October 13, 2023. Xbox has yet to add any of the older Call of Duty games to its subscription service, but with this recent announcement more could be finding a new home in Game Pass.
It’s not entirely clear what the next Call of Duty installment will be, but many reports suggest it will follow along the Black Ops series taking place in the Gulf War. As with all previous releases dating back to the revival of Modern Warfare, this new entry will have connective tissue with both Warzone and Warzone Mobile.
Game Pass proves a remarkable selling point for gamers. At just $10 for its base monthly plan, you gain access to a wide variety of experiences beyond just the Xbox branding. An additional $16 a month grants you access to cloud gaming services, letting you play your favorite games on the go over WiFi or cell service.
Microsoft claims the service is host to as many as 34M subscribers, which it announced earlier this year. Its major day and date launch of Starfield drove a record number of subscriptions to the service, which could be mirrored in the soon-to-release Call of Duty sequel.
An Xbox Games Showcase and aptly-titled "Redacted" Direct is planned for June 9, the latter of which should give Call of Duty fans better insight into what to expect with the franchise's next title. The livestream will kick off starting at 10AM PT/ 1PM ET across Xbox's socials.
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