Xbox president Sarah Bond has confirmed that new Call Of Duty games will launch on Xbox Game Pass after a number of studios were closed down by Microsoft.
Earlier this week, Microsoft confirmed a number of Bethesda studios would be closing down, including Tango Gameworks, the studio behind the critically acclaimed Hi-Fi Rush, and Redfall’s Arkane Austin.
The sudden announcement led to a lot of speculation about Xbox’s plans going forward, with many fans suggesting that their Game Pass service had stagnated and wasn’t as profitable as the company was hoping. Because of this, rumours began to spread that new Call Of Duty games would be kept off the service despite promises that they’d be available day one.
Microsoft is considering increasing the price of Game Pass Ultimate again. It’s also had internal debates on whether to put new Call of Duty releases on Game Pass.
“Hellblade II is another game that Microsoft has been considering for the PS5” https://t.co/PQFP0Sp7uj
— Wario64 (@Wario64) May 8, 2024
In a new interview with IGN, Xbox president Sarah Bond has shut down those rumours.
“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. And the quality and the breadth of those games has only been going up over time. And you’re going to see some more really big games going into Game Pass later this year,” she said (via Insider Gaming).
“Across the whole slate, you’re going to see some really amazing things,” she added. “And keeping that as something that is really special for Xbox players is central to us.”
🚨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
In an internal memo to staff, Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty explained that the various closures and staff lay-offs were a bid to “prioritise high-impact titles” with Microsoft wanting to “further invest in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds which you have nurtured over many decades.”
Fans are currently expecting the new Call Of Duty game to be announced as part of Xbox’s June showcase, which will be followed by a secret Direct. The next instalment in the COD franchise is reportedly being developed by Treyarch and is rumoured to be a continuation of the Black Ops series which will feature a “nuanced narrative” set in the Gulf War.
In other news, Nintendo has confirmed Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, a retro speedrunning game, is due to launch on Switch this summer.
