
A new report has just dropped that claims Activision's upcoming 2024 Call of Duty title will be included in Xbox Game Pass on day one. The Wall Street Journal is the source on this one, with the outlet claiming that the plan is "expected to be announced at the company’s annual Xbox showcase next month".
About a week ago, Xbox's Sarah Bond doubled down on Microsoft's commitment to Game Pass, reiterating that Xbox will be bringing its titles to the service "across the whole slate". Of course, today's report backs that up, even if Bond didn't state Call of Duty specifically.
Over in a separate article at The Verge, Tom Warren says that Activision is "currently targeting a late October release" for what is expected to be a Gulf War-themed Call Of Duty Black Ops title. Warren also mentions his previous report that Microsoft may be debating another Game Pass price rise to accommodate day one Call of Duty arrivals, but that hasn't been confirmed at this stage.
Of course, what has been all-but confirmed is that we're getting a Call of Duty Direct livestream right after Xbox's main showcase in June, so that's where you can expect to see the team officially lay out its Call of Duty 2024 plans. It's worth taking today's reported info with a pinch of salt until that official confirmation comes in from Microsoft.
Do you think this would be the right move from Xbox? Tell us your thoughts down in the comments below.
[source wsj.com]
Comments 74
I'll be interested to know next year if subscriptions to GamePass see an increase AND if console sales increase due to this. Not all doom and gloom, folks.
Good. This doesn't affect me because I don't play COD nor do I have Game Pass, but if you say all first party games launch day 1 on Game Pass, you can't just back down from that. They've made their commitment, so they better stick to it.
Am I the only who is not excited for COD as I used to be? The past few iterations have been horrible and this constant chase for warzone and skin sales. It's not what it used to be...
i'll give the campaign a try. it will have a campaign right?
God bless game pass!
Cool, I'll actually try a new Call of Duty game - something I haven't don't since...well...Modern Warfare 2 on X360.
Playing the campaign and deleting will make this a great value for me.
For those who play this game for the whole year would be better off buying it as it's cheaper than a year of Game Pass Ultimate.
@BRT15 I'm with you. I do only want to play the campaigns. I am not a multiplayer gamer anymore. The last COD I played was Black Ops 2, and that was only the first mission or two.
I think that’s the right thing to do, especially has I have GAME PASS and something they have always said. Microsoft Studios all games day one and now ABK is they should do that, the same when they purchased Bethesda etc.
If they started to pick and chose what games were day one on GP then it definitely loses its value and its whole purpose for me.
And give me yet another reason to potentially leave Xbox.
"According to the Wall Street Journal"
According to Microsoft, you should say. They literally said every single game.
"About a week ago, Xbox's Sarah Bond doubled down on Microsoft's commitment to Game Pass, reiterating that Xbox will be bringing its titles to the service across the whole slate. Today's report backs that up."
You are using unofficial statements to confirm official statements...
"Microsoft may be debating another Game Pass price rise to accommodate day one Call of Duty arrivals"
...and re-reporting random assumptions about price increases and the like.
Wonder what the price will be moving forward. Also how much does this restrict on parties for third party games? Seems like it could strengthen gamepass for casual players but really hurt it for those who don’t play cod and prefer single player titles
Had a chat a work with the younger serious COD PS5 crowd and asked them what would they do if COD was Xbox exclusive.
Their response in a second was. Buy a series X.
Interesting but I don’t think Microsoft want to do or even think about risking that, not that they can because of the deal anyway.
@Banjo- The thing is, if we said "according to Microsoft", we'd be accused of lying because MS hasn't specifically confirmed COD 2024 for Game Pass yet.
It's a no-win situation
@FraserG
Sarah Bond said, "We know our core users love Game Pass, Game Pass is a gaming subscription, you get a whole portfolio of games, but importantly you get every single one of the games we build day one in Game Pass."
Doesn't "every single one of the games" include Call of Duty? What am I missing? No problem with reminding that, but using unofficial statements and rumours to confirm reiterative official statements is... something else.
Look like there’s still a little hope for the Xbox platform.
@Banjo- You'd think so, but because she didn't specifically name-drop Call of Duty, and there have been suggestions in the past that COD might be "restricted" on XGP, it's a safer option for us to reference WSJ's report when they're making a definitive statement.
https://www.purexbox.com/news/2022/10/call-of-duty-will-be-restricted-on-xbox-game-pass-confirms-microsoft
Really good move especially for those like me who only dip into them for the campaign then never play it again.
One does wonder if it's true whether the GP price will have to go up and how that will be received by those who don't care for COD at all though.
I doubt this will mean a LOT more Xbox Consoles sold. It perhaps won't make sense for all those Playstation gamers who bought PS5 because of CoD and its benefits to PS gamers to suddenly rush out and buy a Series X and a Game Pass Subscription to 'save' buying it on a Platform they already had.
It may help a bit where those gamers that haven't yet upgraded to the current Console hardware, as CoD has been released on Last gen too, they may 'choose' to upgrade to Xbox now instead of Playstation, but it may depend on how many Digital games they own and would 'lose' by jumping from PS to Xbox.
MS stated ALL first Party games will be on Game Pass. The price went up recently - only a small amount, but with 35m, a $1 per person increase is an extra $35m a month, $420m a year - Game Pass 'income' is not something ABK had coming in. Also, every game sold on MS, they now get 100%, not just 30% as retailer on ALL digital content. You buy a season pass for say £20, in the past, ABK as Publisher would get £14, MS got £6 - now MS get all £20. Its not just 'Game' sales as Warzone, Free to Play anyway, also has numerous ways of bringing in money...
CoD has Season Passes, Cosmetic Bundles, CoD Points etc and those bring in a LOT of revenue. Whilst some of those on Game Pass may only play the Campaign and not buy 'anything' extra, they probably wouldn't have bought the game anyway. Some others that may not have bought may well end up buying extras too - And you have ALL the revenue from selling the Game on PS5, selling extras to those. They may make a LOT more money from 'Sony' console gamers as they have the larger install base and won't be getting the game for 'free'. MS also had a deal with Nintendo - which may well bring in 'extra' income to offset some of the lost sales from Game Pass users.
As we have seen from 'MS' and the way they have offered Games, you get the 'base' game ONLY. CoD (as well as many other games) usually offer a Prestige/Collectors edition - maybe with the first Season Pass, extra Cosmetics, maybe early 'Beta' access etc so will bring in 'money' from Game Pass as CoD gamers pay £35-£40 to 'upgrade' their Game Pass edition to a Prestige/Premium edition. Its still cheaper than the £100+ Premium edition on PS for example but £100+ is still cheaper than buying a Series X to get the same quality experience and a Game Pass Subscription just to get the base game 'free'...
MS may not make as much 'per person' playing on Xbox as they would if it was 'Sold', but they could make 'more' money overall because its being Sold on Nintendo and bringing in more revenue on 'extras' across MORE platforms as they have MORE people in that game/marketstore!
@BRT15 No. I'm very psyched, all the time for COD. Every year, I buy COD. I'll buy this year's also regardless if it is on GP on day one.
Maybe this is a good decision, this year. This will surely boost GP subscribers.
Remember when Ubisoft was good? Splinter Cell and real Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six. Even games like EndWar were a blast.
And the cross overs where'd you'd be playing jg one game and gear a character form another because it was a shared world.
Now we get whatever modern Ubisoft is.
Damned if they do,
Damned if they don't.
The thing is what do Microsoft get for putting COD day one on GP.
Do they get to sell more GP
Do they sell more Xbox consoles
Or does it just ensure people with GP stay with GP because they are sort of sticking with all Microsoft games day one on GP.
If they start pick and choosing what will be day one GP then they could lose subscribers.
I mean what is next no elder scrolls 6 day one on GP.
@FarmDog08 @BBB yeah even the last campaign in MW3 was so half-arsed. It's like, if the Devs don't care, why should I.
Either way, they'll still make their billions and sell tonnes of MTXs.
@OldGamer999 Call of Duty will be a top seller on all platforms like always, but it will also be super popular on Game Pass in any case, probably the number 1 and keep people subscribed for that alone, especially if someone else is paying for it (Dad) and has to pay for.online (Ultimate), anyway. It will be a winner inside and outside Game Pass. It's a better deal on Xbox than PS5, since Game Pass Ultimate includes the game and online. Of course, it will be an even better deal on PC, where the majority of players play, more than Xbox and PS players combined, as was officially reported by Activision. The biggest revenue comes from PC and mobile.
I personally would have put it on GP 6 months after release, Microsoft is leaving allot of money on the table but I get it they can't just dismantle the roadmap for GP after all these years.
@Tecinthehead If they stay subscribed it's not bad business either, since most players keep playing the online modes until the next Call of Duty comes.
@Banjo-
But I’m not sure outside of the USA if it will do anything for increased GP or consoles sales.
My opinion on Push Square.
It definitely won’t make any difference at all in the UK, Germany and Europe.
The only way Xbox could gain a small amount of ground console sales wise on PS5 is if COD was exclusive to Xbox consoles etc and not on PS5
Then it would be a small amount.
Xbox would have to totally also need to cut the series x price to about £350, COD exclusive to Xbox and advertise very well and do bundles.
Then they might gain a bit more on PS5 console sales.
The poor Xbox console is almost dead in Europe.
In the USA they would stand a far better chance of gaining ground on PS5 sales.
I'd rather not have day one COD releases if it means the price of Game Pass remains unchanged.
@OldGamer999 We'll see when it's released, but please note official data and not fanboy "reports" to measure its success 😁. Also, current subscribers make around 5 billions for Microsoft every year, how can the addition of Call of Duty decrease that incredible success = 34+ million subscribers?
"We have a service that is financially viable, meaning it makes money, in Game Pass. We’ve put a lot of money into the market, over a billion dollars a year supporting third-party games coming into Game Pass."
The important thing about this is that being first-party now, Call of Duty can only make money on whatever platform and they don't have to pay to include it on Game Pass.
@Banjo-
Time will tell.
I guess in June showcase they will and should definitely and clearly state COD day one GP.
Then they need to advertise and PR and bundle COD with Xbox like Sony used to.
If Xbox can learn how to do anything from Sony it’s how to PR in Europe.
@BAMozzy aye Warzone on mobile is making $2 million day in revenue!!! It's just crazy how much Microsoft is making.
Xbox sold like 7% of last years COD. So say 5% max plays on Games Pass. It's a small loss.
I'm excited to jump into cod day one. It's been like a decade since I seriously played the multiplayer. I usually buy the game like a year after release, finish the campaign, play a couple rounds of zombies and uninstall.
This year i will give the multiplayer a serious go and see if I still got it.
@BRT15 Cold War has been the best in years. Hoping this year's will be as good.
One factor folks dont mention is all those xbox players who already play COD and subscribe to Gamepass. I imagine there will be quite a few. They just saved themselves 70 quid and won't increase the subscription numbers.
I imagine there will be very few folks out there who choose to buy a new console over just paying the price for a game, just so they can access gamepass.
I honestly don't see any benefit in this for MS. Although if it is true (and confirmed), then I'm glad they kept their word on the day 1 promise.
@OldGamer999 Yes, the marketing of Call of Duty by Sony was very aggressive (a little too much as we know) and Microsoft hasn't done much yet. I expect them to do it when the next game is coming. If they don't do it, they're daft.
No interest, better not affect my sub price.
@Banjo-
You cannot advertise too much like Sony did.
Just look at their Europe dominance.
Smart and direct the simple way.
Would be nice to Xbox advertise something at least. I cannot work out their strategy really since the beginning of the series console days.
Actually Sony learnt from Xbox from the xbox360 days. Look what they did with the PS4, COD and FIFA advertising and bundle rights and great PR. And third party deals and great exclusives.
THATS WHAT XBOX DID WITH XBOX 360.
Sony just followed that winning formula.
@OldGamer999 They can advertise more than Sony. They don't have to pay for the game nor for keeping DLC off other platforms nor for early access and not relinquish the standard commission like Sony. The same campaign would include primarily Xbox, Game Pass and mobile as a whole and Game Pass is on PC as well, a platform that has more Call of Duty players than Xbox and PS combined. On top of that, Game Pass is available also on mobile, where the majority of Call of Duty players are, main game streamed and mobile game natively, if they want to advertise both games at the same time (Game Pass and Android/Apple). They are also going to launch a mobile store.
They will probably introduce another tier with all COD's for another £5 a month thats why none have hit the service so far. If they do i wont subscribe as not interested in COD
Yearly CoDs without the yearly CoD price? Meanwhile still sporting season passes? CoD fans will eat that up.
If they add it to Gamepass day one, Gamepass subscriptions are gonna explode.
@OldGamer999 I'd extend that so far as back to the beginning of the Xbox One days.
All it was was bad press, reversals, and no clear direction aside from "game box with XBL subscription".
The only direction they had was removing the Kinect(should have sold Kinect SKU only, and at $100 cheaper.)
Then putting out the One X to keep up with the Joneses.
It's going to be hilarious when this plan blows up in their face lol.
@InterceptorAlpha
I did like the one x, quiet, calm and powerful.
But unfortunately didn’t have the games to really compete with what was the Sony AAA mega machine.
Shame Sony have wasted so much time and talent with their studios PS5 big AAA games wise.
A lot of people seem to think that games can skip xbox because there are not enough consoles sold but then also think that a games inclusion in gamepass will completely cripple its multiplatform game sales total.
This will be one of the most played call of duty games ever and will still sell bananas even on xbox. It's probably a safe bet that this is the years best seller.
I can easily see this as another tier to GP.
GP Ultimate + (ABK) for an extra £3 pm maybe. Depending on what titles were on it, I'd have no problem paying a little extra for that.
Zero interest in CoD though, I think this game is way over hyped and don't really know anyone who plays it anymore.
Remember you need Gamepass Core (or Playstation Essential) to even play this game online anyway. So really you are just paying the upgrade from core to Ultimate for access to this. Hopefully will convert a few more people.
There will be some sort of DLC/Season Pass/X Pack/ … on GP!
FH5 is also on GP but the Premium DLC, VIP & Car Packs are doing very well!
I used to buy COD for the SP experience first, MP later if I had time left. COD’s main focus is MP. I wonder when the older COD’s come to GP though?
@FraserG Yes, you are completely right about that. There were agreements between Sony and Activision before the acquisition, but if those prevented Call of Duty from being on Game Pass, either she wouldn't have said "every single one of our games" or she shouldn't have said so! 😮
Where did all the "sky is falling" folks go today? Lol.
MS doing exactly what they said they said that would do. For Xbox, it's on GP day one. For everyone else it's buy the game as usual. It now has a broader player base and xbox players get another reason the GP subscription is more than worth it.
Sounds like a solid plan.
@OldGamer999 Better for MS to have some level of migration to Xbox from PS and a larger share of new-to-market buyers. They have the most sales surface area with more consoles (1:1 with potential customers). Then when the next gen launches, more people go straight to Xbox. MS has so many studios that the next gen launch should be close to or better than the 360 launch.
The Newest Call of Duty at no additional cost with GamePass or $70.00 on other platforms.
GamePass is undisputably the best way to go.
@cragis0001 And the extra money they'll make from more playing through Game Pass, selling on Nintendo etc, the more buying all the extra's - the extra season passes, cod points, cosmetic bundles etc...
I don't think the 'loss' of sales on Xbox, considering the Game Pass tradition of Premium editions with Season Passes, Cosmetics etc is an 'extra' upgrade so some will no doubt pay to upgrade for the 'Premium' CoD, not just the basic £70 CoD without access to all that 'seasonal' content.
Long term, I only see it as a Positive myself. if the game is 'good' and people want to stay. Also means a LOT more can play Day 1 and enjoy the game with Game Pass friends instead of waiting for them to buy it too...
@Gamer_X it's not free though, is it.
@Weebleman
It is FREE as playing ANY other games on GamePass it automatically covers the entire cost of the subscription, so yes Call of Duty will be free of charge!
I can't Imagine how gamers on other platforms will be able to stomach over $70.00 just on Call of Duty.
Thank goodness for GamePass.
@Gamer_X it's not free though, is it. As if you don't pay, you can't play.
Hope so. Gamepass is unacceptably dry right now. Stopped paying for it cause what is the point?
@MrBook
What's even more bizarre is your unwillingness or inability(?) to accept that, if someone is already subscribing to GamePass and the inclusion of the new COD does not affect the current price can actually be seen as a free addition.
I can see why certain folk supporting a particular console would get irked about the whole free COD on Gamepass mantra.....
@MrBook
Can you play games on Game Pass if you stop paying for the subscription?
No, you cannot
You cannot be that obtuse surely, since the debate is about the inclusion of COD on a a already paid subscription
Props for the attempted spin though, and for making a brand new account to argue semantics 😅
Coms closed
Hallelujah!
@MrBook @Weebleman agreed. If you pay for something, it’s not free lol
@datamonkey it's a strange concept isn't it 😂
@Weebleman trying to get old Johnny boy to do or say anything but squirt green sauce all over is probably easier than trying to fit Big Phils head up your a** but not by much and about as painful 😂
@weebleman @mac_da_man I get my Game Pass free, for just £10.99 a month. Every game totally free, at no cost, with only £10.99 to pay! Even though I pay £10.99 a month all the games on GP are free because not only does that £10.99 provide me access to free games, it also gives me the confidence to insist it's games are free when they are not! 😁 It's like asking, what is a woman? What is Game Pass? I can say it's free even though I pay, and if you say different you and reality are wrong 😁
@PixelDragon
😂 Johnny is so easy to sniff out, stinks of troll from miles away
Havent seen him on Eurogamer for a while, which is nice 😊
Edit: Ep is on X as Episode13… if you wanna check him out 🫣
Sounds good. If we are stepping back into a “360-like” era where Xbox’s first party output is going to be a small selection of big-name hitters, all of those games need to be on Game Pass.
The hardcore will have mostly given up on Xbox at this point but I’ll be shocked if putting COD on Game Pass doesn’t bring in a large number of new subscribers.
Well of course it'll be on Gamepass, as @Banjo rightfully says Sarah Bond confirmed it recently. Can you also how think just how stupid it would be if COD Direct (following the upcoming Showcase) revealed that the next game wasn't going to be on GP. Surely even Microsoft wouldn't be that daft.
@Gamer_X
Mate, it looks like you just can't escape your cyber bullying admirers even on PureXbox. They have actually followed you across from Eurogamer 😅🤦♂️...
@GamingFan4Lyf Actually it's not, it would be if you bought Gamepass from the store at the RRP but as Microsoft allow you to buy full Digital games and 'subscriptions' from 3rd parties you can get it cheaper, Microsoft also allow you to use cheap Gold/Core 3rd party codes and upgrade them to Ultimate Gamepass by converting them using a month of Ultimate Gamepass (also bought from 3rd party).
@MrMagic looks like your going to have to Pay £70 for it on your PlayStation, never mind.
@Sol4ris
That goes to show they can't really live without me....They know I'm the only one that can give them a run for their money.
This sounds like a unforced error that Xbox painted themselves into a corner with by saying all first party games would release on GamePass day one. This won’t bring over PlayStation owners who love COD because buying it outright will be cheaper. Same for Xbox, unless it’s someone who has GamePass and then it’s canibalizing sales, which will be reflected in earnings reports, pissing off shareholders wanting immediate returns on the Activision acquisition.
And there’s no way to make it console exclusive until the Xbox?/PS7.
Edit: Of course, there could be a shifting of goal posts as well. If Xbox restructures GamePass tiers and only makes COD available on the top tier that costs more. That would require every GamePass subscriber to pay additional money for the COD tier without the benefit of their stacked discounts. Microsoft still keep their day one promise, while requiring current GP subscribers to pay up to get access. Sony did something similar when they created the Plus tiers. I had 3 years left on my sub and had to pay the up charge for the entire remaining term.
@PixelDragon :
And yet you are the one following me everywhere....🤣🤣🤣....
250GB for 1 game of storage is not worth it
@Banjoisfanboy Yeah I'm too wondering if this may be a negative financial outcome for MS. 🤔 I've zero interest in COD but I'm very interested in the financial and business models of the industry, and ultimately if GamePass remains or runs out of money. It'll be interesting to see the effect but, I just have a nagging suspicion this may not pay off...
@BAMozzy I agree. I guess they'll also do the same as they did with Starfield, Forza & Redfall. Bring out a £30 upgrade to deluxe edition for early access, season pass & some currency for Games Pass users which will make Microsoft a ton of money also.
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