Call of Duty Rumor Says the Series Might Actually Skip Xbox Game Pass

While Xbox has been releasing its games on other platforms for years now, rumors have begun to circulate about a change in strategy for the company. This new strategy will apparently result in many more of the company's games going multi-platform, including titles like Starfield and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The idea is that bringing these games to other platforms will help with profitability. It seems that might not be the only change in the works, as a new rumor suggest Call of Duty might end up skipping out on Xbox Game Pass. In an episode of the Gamers Council podcast, leaker Timdog made the claim that declining Xbox console sales have resulted in the brand looking for ways to become more profitable. 

Readers should note that none of this is confirmed at this time. We also don't know if this means that Call of Duty games won't see a day one release, but older games in the series will still come to Xbox Game Pass. That would be a way for Xbox to maximize profits from Call of Duty, though it might not sit well with Xbox fans. Whatever the case might be, there are a lot of rumors circulating at the moment, and until official word comes from the company, readers should take everything they hear with a grain of salt. 

Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Acquisition

The acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft was announced in early 2022 and finally saw completion in October 2023. When the announcement was made, there were immediate questions about what impact the $68.7 billion purchase would have on the Call of Duty franchise. Microsoft signed deals to keep the series on PlayStation and bring it to Nintendo systems to help ensure the purchase was passed by regulators. For Xbox fans, the prospect of the Call of Duty series launching day one on Xbox Game Pass, as all first-party games do, was one of the most exciting aspects of the acquisition. However, it's no longer clear that's going to happen, or that the series will even come to Game Pass at all. 

Xbox in Third Place

Xbox was extremely competitive in the Xbox 360 era, but the last few years have seen the brand falling way behind PlayStation and Nintendo. The fact that Xbox is currently in third-place is one of the arguments Microsoft made to help get the purchase of Activision Blizzard approved; the company argued that since Nintendo and PlayStation are in a much better position right now, Xbox should be able to make moves that help it become more competitive. 

It remains to be seen whether this reported embrace of a multi-platform strategy will prove lucrative, or if it might result in damaging interest in the Xbox brand. Timdog's comments on the Gamers Council podcast were on the negative side, and showed a lot of concern about the future. It doesn't seem like the company has any plans to abandon its hardware anytime soon, but if the platform's biggest exclusives can be found elsewhere and Game Pass becomes less of a draw, it's easy to see why some fans might have less confidence in the future. 

Do you think Call of Duty is going to skip Xbox Game Pass? Are you concerned about the platform's future? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

[H/T: Game Rant]