Ever since Microsoft acquired Activision excitement about the eventuality of all Call of Duty games being included in Xbox Game Pass has been bubbling away. Being able to play almost the entire catalogue of games from the series across Xbox 360 backwards compatibility, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S is an offer unlike anything else available today on any platform.
However, after recent news from Microsoft, and suggestions that Game Pass growth isn’t as high as it would like, that plan could be left in tatters. So what is the current status of old Call of Duty games coming to Game Pass?
Are old ‘Call of Duty’ games still coming to Game Pass?
Currently, according to the latest public announcement from Microsoft, Call of Duty’s back catalogue of games will still come to Game Pass. This means you should be able to play the full range of titles available on the service later this year. We have slowly seen a drip-feed of Activision titles with Diablo 4 launching into Game Pass in March, and Crash Bandicoot seemingly next in line.
This looks to be the case for new games as well, according to the latest statement from Microsoft’s Sarah Bond. Although she stops short of naming Call of Duty specifically.
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
According to Sarah Bond in an interview with @dinabass with Bloomberg..
..ALL first-party games are coming to Game Pass #DayOne including CALL OF DUTY (which falls under “across the whole slate”).
Sarah:
“And the last piece is about game pass. We know our… pic.twitter.com/aCw2c0IVFz
— GPT: Game Pass Tracker (@GPTGamingNews) May 10, 2024
Internal leaks and reports from Microsoft suggest it is actually still debating releasing new games into Game Pass, due to the huge hit in revenue the Activision may take.
In the wake of Microsoft shutting three Bethesda studios and folding a fourth into Zenimax Online Studios, a report from The Verge suggests that Microsoft are still figuring out what to do. According to them, the debate has “been ongoing internally for quite some time, with concerns from some that the revenue that Call of Duty typically generates for Activision Blizzard will be undermined by Game Pass.”
Therefore, there appears to still be a chance the plan for new Call of Duty games on Game Pass could stall, or be put on hold to see how this year’s Call of Duty performs financially. And, if Microsoft determines that the hit it would take is too large, then we could see new games not released into the service.
We could also see the reverse happen. This year’s Call of Duty could be released into Game Pass at launch, and then if Activision loses too much money, it could ignore the original promise of day-one releases for future games. However, never starting to release games in the series into Game Pass is easier than doing so and then taking them away in 2025 or 2026.
But, it seems safe to say that old games will still be coming to Game Pass. So, you will be able to revisit classics like Black Ops 3 or play recent games like last year’s Modern Warfare 3.
It has been a tumultuous time for Xbox in May so far, with the leadership of the brand stating that they want more games like Hi-Fi Rush just hours after shutting Tango Gameworks – the studio behind it. Morale and public opinion of the brand are on shaky ground.
