Microsoft has recently seen some big changes in its gaming department. From the closure of multiple popular studios to deciding to bring their exclusives on multi-platform. The Wall Street Journal revealed that the company may be planning to bring the next Call of Duty game on Game Pass Day One.
The announcement for the same will be done during the Xbox showcase alongside other games. Call of Duty games were originally released as regular full-priced games across multiple platforms. Since Activision Blizzard was acquired by Microsoft in a $70 billion deal. Now, they can do anything with the Call of Duty franchise.
Gamers were already worried about Microsoft making the franchise exclusive, but the company said they do not plan to do something like that, especially after spending $70 billion. What is surprising is bringing the game to Game Pass on Day One.
While it hasn’t been confirmed yet, the move comes as a great option for gamers who do not want to spend $70 on the game. Players will Game Pass will be able to play it on release day without any extra cost.
Why Game Pass?
Even if the game is added to Game Pass, it will still be available for purchase across multiple stores at full price. Call of Duty is one of the biggest franchises for Activision, generating huge amounts of sales revenue every year.
What’s not working out for Microsoft is their Xbox Game Pass, despite having the largest library. Subscription services have been rising as a top priority for gaming companies in recent years, with EA and Ubisoft also pushing their games
Game Pass, however, reportedly failed to meet subscriber growth targets in 2021 and 2022 with numbers going down even more. Adding Call of Duty in the mix might be an attempt to bring those numbers back up, as more players are likely to join when they can play the game alongside others for cheaper.