Future Call of Duty games might not launch Day-One on Xbox Game Pass

Over its nearly 10 years of operation, Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass has undergone many different iterations. That said, throughout all of it, one standard which has remained true is the fact that first-party Microsoft titles would launch day-and-date onto the subscription service in conjunction with their wider releases. It seems as though this could come to an end however, with one insider claiming that future Call of Duty entries in particular could be exempt from day-one Game Pass launches.

As reported by known Xbox insider Jez Corden via the XB2 Podcast, the addition of Call of Duty to Game Pass as a day-one title could come to an end after just two years.

While its inclusion was certainly a boon to the service, reports over the past few years have indicated that sales for COD have taken a notable hit as a result of their Game Pass arrivals; adding up to the tune of $300 million in potential losses.

As a result, it appears as though the strategy might be shifting, with Corden claiming that “it’ll be interesting to see like if…if they take Call of Duty out of Game Pass this year, which is a possibility from what I’ve heard.”

Considering the fact that Call of Duty has historically been the best selling game of the year every year since 2009 (with only a few exceptions) the decision to include the annual titles onto Game Pass day-one was always somewhat of a gamble – a gamble which appears to not be paying off.

2026 is said to be a big year for Call of Duty, with Infinity Ward reportedly developing Modern Warfare 4 alongside an engine refresh, making for what should be a big jump up in technology compared to the past half-a-dozen releases.

Assuming this to be the case, it will be interesting to see how Microsoft will choose to spin this shift as a positive for current subscribers. We will have to wait and see.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest claim? Would this be a big loss for Game Pass? How interested are you in a potential Modern Warfare 4? Let us know down below.

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