If you enjoy playing Call of Duty on day one through Xbox Game Pass, that could soon change, as Microsoft is reportedly reconsidering its launch strategy for the franchise on the service. Speaking on a recent episode of the Xbox Two podcast, insider and Windows Central editor Jez Corden explained that Microsoft may take “Call of Duty out of Game Pass this year, which is a possibility from what I’ve heard.” If that happens, the next entry in the series could mark the end of day-one launches for Call of Duty on Game Pass.
This would be a major change for Xbox Game Pass, as Day One releases have long been one of the service’s biggest selling points. One possible reason behind this move is the financial impact of past launches, with Bloomberg reporting that Microsoft may have lost around $300 million in potential sales from Black Ops 6 alone after including it on Game Pass from day one.
Another point to note is that the recent Call of Duty releases reportedly saw around 80% of total sales come from PlayStation consoles, where Game Pass is not available. This clearly suggests that Xbox may have missed out on a large amount of full-price sales revenue by making the game available through its subscription service instead.
Microsoft is rumored to be working on a new lower-cost Game Pass tier, reportedly codenamed “Triton.” Leaks suggest it would only include first-party Xbox games, with third-party titles removed to reduce costs. If true, this would fit into the same plan to cut costs and improve game sales revenue.
That said, none of this has been officially confirmed by Microsoft, so it should still be taken with a pinch of salt for now. As more news and rumors continue to emerge, we’ll be sure to keep you updated here at GameObserver.
