Xbox Exec Suggests Call of Duty 2024 Will Launch Straight Into Game Pass

Call of Duty, of course, is one other matter completely. Having splashed out $69 billion on Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s gaming enterprise is reportedly beneath elevated monetary scrutiny. That is one of the components cited in reviews surrounding Microsoft’s shock choice to shutter Hello-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall studio Arkane Austin.

Will Microsoft threat negatively impacting Call of Duty gross sales by releasing the sport day-one on Game Pass, or threat upsetting Game Pass subscribers by failing to take action? Talking in an interview with Bloomberg’s Dina Bass at Bloomberg Tech in San Francisco, Xbox president Sarah Bond strongly instructed Microsoft has determined to chew the bullet and launch Call of Duty 2024 straight into its subscription service. Whereas she did not namecheck Call of Duty, Bond mentioned all Xbox video games will launch day-one on Game Pass.

“We all know our core customers love Game Pass,” Bond mentioned. “Game Pass is a gaming subscription. You get a complete portfolio of video games, however importantly, you get each single one of our video games that we construct day-one in Game Pass, and the standard and the breadth of these video games has solely been going up over time. You are going to see some extra actually massive video games going into Game Pass later this yr.

Bond was then requested if this included Activision video games. “Throughout the entire slate,” Bond replied. “You are going to see some actually superb issues. And maintaining that as one thing that’s actually particular for Xbox gamers is central for us.”

That’s a transparent signal that Call of Duty 2024 is a day-one Game Pass title, however of course it can additionally launch throughout Xbox, PlayStation, and PC as a recreation that may be purchased outright, too.

With Game Pass subscriber numbers failing to develop meaningfully Microsoft is beneath strain to draw new clients, and including a mainline Call of Duty recreation at launch will little doubt assist with that. However Microsoft can also be beneath growing strain to reverse its gaming fortunes amid collapsing console gross sales and elevated growth prices. Promoting video video games, particularly these at full worth, will certainly assist with that.

Microsoft is ready to carry an Xbox showcase occasion in June, the place it can reveal this yr’s Call of Duty and, reviews point out, announce the arrival of the Call of Duty again catalog in Game Pass.

Wesley is the UK Information Editor for IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You may attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.