Xbox is reportedly set to add this year’s Call of Duty – which is yet to be officially revealed – to Game Pass at launch, in what would be a first for the series and publisher. Naturally, this could in theory mean those with a subscription to the service would be able to grab the game without paying the usual price.
This is according to The Wall Street Journal, which reports that Microsoft will announce CoD’s impending arrival on Game Pass during its showcase on June 9. The reported change would mark a very noteworthy shift in strategy from Xbox, with the debate as to whether Call of Duty is of more worth to the console maker within or outside of Game Pass having been a big point of debate in recent months.
The two sides of the discussion are these. Is it better to keep on selling Call of Duty games in traditional fashion at full price, as Activision has to this point, earning a lot of cash since the series is usually one of – if not the – the top selling titles on the market annualy? Or, would the boost to Game Pass that’d likely come with putting the games onto the service at launch be worth undermining those strong traditional sales numbers?
