Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch this year’s Call of Duty on its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, according to The Wall Stree Journal. This follows reports in previous weeks indicating Microsoft and Xbox were mulling over whether or not to launch the next iteration in the franchise on Game Pass, out of fear it might hurt sales.
After acquiring Activision Blizzard for a colossal $69 billion last year, fans and analysts have speculated about how Microsoft will handle the Call of Duty franchise moving forward. It will obviously be a big draw for Xbox Game Pass, pulling in new subscribers, but most every year, the new Call of Duty is the best-selling game of the year – save for last year, where Hogwarts Legacy took that crown – and a Game Pass launch could affect those sales numbers.
However, this new report from The Wall Street Journal seemingly clears the air around that topic.
“Microsoft plans a major shake up of its video game sales strategy by releasing the coming installment of Call of Duty to its subscription service instead of the longtime, lucrative approach of only selling it a la carte,” the story reads.
Of course, things could change so we’ll see what happens. It’s likely we’ll be learning what the next Call of Duty game is next month as part of the gaming showcase summer that includes Summer Game Fest, Ubisoft Forward, and an Xbox Games Showcase followed by a secret direct that is probably focused on Call of Duty.