Xbox Game Pass will include Call of Duty, according to Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming. Once the acquisition agreement is finalised, Activision Blizzard's game library will be accessible through the Xbox game subscription service, according to a Microsoft blog post. Other top-notch games like Overwatch and Diablo will be on the list. However, Call of Duty won't be considered an Xbox-only game. In the future, Call of Duty will also be released on PlayStation on the same day as Xbox Game Pass.
The announcement follows the conclusion of the CMA's (Competition and Markets Authority) preliminary inquiry into Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $68 billion (about Rs. 5,41,800 crore). Phase 2 of the approval procedure now calls for a "in-depth investigation." In light of this recent development, Spencer has disclosed two ways for Xbox to grow, including the addition of Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard games to Game Pass. Second, additional games should be added to mobile platforms.
Players were concerned that the Call of Duty franchise will become permanently limited to Xbox, disabling PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X as a result of Activision Blizzard's acquisition. However, Spencer has reaffirmed in this latest statement that the business is "committed" to making the same version of Call of Duty accessible on PlayStation on the day of launch. There are currently no established details, however this would imply that any cosmetic goods or benefits that are console-specific will be shared between the two platforms.
We've used this strategy with Minecraft, which is still accessible on a variety of platforms and has grown to include even more since Mojang joined Microsoft in 2014, so we know players benefit from it, he continued. Xbox will continue to respect game developers' choices over how to distribute their titles as it expands the reach of its gaming storefront across more platforms. In a tweet from earlier this year, Spencer stated that they wanted to keep their relationship with Sony because it was a significant component of the gaming industry.
There are no specifics as of now regarding the availability of the Call of Duty lineup on Xbox. The next Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 remake will include an open beta event, the studio Infinity Ward said earlier this month. PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 users have early access to the beta phase, which starts on September 18, while Xbox One and PC users get access later in the week. Future Call of Duty games will release on the same day for both consoles, but after this deal is complete, we might see a few extras like "early access" that is only promoted on the Xbox front.
Another game that will profit from the acquisition is Overwatch, a 6v6 team-based FPS that has been slowly losing players. The excessive number of hero additions and balancing concerns led most players to switch to other online FPS games like Valorant. It would be a fantastic way to increase traffic to add it on Game Pass as a free title. With Overwatch 2 soon to arrive, it may also be available on Game Pass right away. Blizzard is expanding its Diablo catalogue as it concentrates on releasing more mobile games.
Though it might have something to do with the payment method, there is no mention of World of Warcraft joining Game Pass. Players are required to contribute a minimum of $14.99 (roughly Rs. 1,193) per month to keep World of Warcraft up and running. It won't be simple to integrate World of Warcraft with Game Pass because users might have to pay more than just their Xbox subscription.
Earlier last month, court records from the Microsoft-CADE litigation showed that less than half of the PS4's lifetime sales had been made by Xbox One. With 117.2 million units sold as of March, the PlayStation 4 has outsold the Xbox One by fewer than 58.6 million copies. Since 2015, Microsoft has discontinued disclosing data on console sales in favour of concentrating on Xbox Live statistics.
