When is Call of Duty Coming to Game Pass?
The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft plans to launch the next Call of Duty game on Game Pass from day one. Although the game is yet unnamed and undated, historical patterns suggest a release in late October or early November 2024. Microsoft is anticipated to reveal the game and its launch strategy during the Xbox showcase on June 9. However, no official statement has been made by Microsoft regarding the exact timing of Call of Duty games’ availability on Game Pass.
In a preemptive move amid the acquisition process, Activision Blizzard announced on October 9, 2023, that neither Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 nor Diablo 4 would be added to Game Pass that year. Nevertheless, the company did express plans to start integrating games into the service in 2024. True to this, Diablo 4 was included in Game Pass this March, yet Call of Duty titles have conspicuously not followed suit.
Addressing the official Xbox podcast on October 17, 2023, Xbox head Phil Spencer mentioned that the prolonged regulatory process delayed collaborative efforts with Activision Blizzard. “The fact that we’re not hitting day one with a bunch of games dropping into Game Pass is a little bit of a downer, but I’m very excited about the future,” Spencer noted.
When will older Call of Duty games come to Game Pass?
The timeline for older Call of Duty titles making their way to Game Pass remains ambiguous. Despite expectations, Microsoft has not yet added any previous Call of Duty games to the service. This is in contrast to the rapid inclusion of Bethesda games to Game Pass, which added 20 titles within weeks of the deal closure in March 2021.
For the latest installment, Modern Warfare 3, an existing marketing arrangement with Sony could likely delay its Game Pass availability by six months to a year. Additionally, Call of Duty operates on a well-established annual release schedule that Microsoft may choose not to disrupt. Thus, Modern Warfare 3 may not appear on Game Pass until late 2024, just as the 2024 release overshadows it.
Microsoft might be strategizing for maximum impact by making 2024’s brand-new Call of Duty installment the first to appear on Game Pass, potentially accompanied by various older titles or focusing on the flagship new release.
When will other Activision Blizzard games like Diablo, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch come to Game Pass?
Microsoft’s approach to Diablo games hints at its broader strategy. While there was anticipation for older games like Diablo 3 and Diablo 2 Resurrected to join Game Pass soon after the acquisition, they did not. Instead, the latest release, Diablo 4, was added with significant fanfare in March 2024. Microsoft appears to prioritize newer releases over the entire Blizzard back catalog, unlike its approach with Bethesda.
One significant question mark revolves around World of Warcraft. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024, WoW maintains a robust subscriber base paying its exclusive monthly fee. Whether Microsoft will offset this substantial revenue for the potential Game Pass value add remains uncertain and complex, suggesting it may not appear in the initial batch of games.
Overwatch 2, being a free-to-play title, is less central to the Game Pass integration narrative, though subscribers have already received game-related perks like immediate hero unlocks.
Updates:
- October 13, 2023: Article updated to confirm the completion of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- October 18, 2023: Article updated with Phil Spencer’s comments.
- May 21, 2024: Article updated to include Diablo 4’s addition to Game Pass and reports concerning the next Call of Duty’s potential inclusion.
