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| When Can We Expect Call of Duty on Game Pass? |
Microsoft has successfully completed its massive $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, marking a significant milestone in the gaming industry. This acquisition brings a treasure trove of iconic gaming properties under Microsoft's umbrella, most notably, the beloved Call of Duty series. The question on many gamers' minds is when these titles, especially the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, will become available on Xbox and PC through Microsoft's Game Pass subscription service.
So, when can you expect Call of Duty to arrive on Game Pass? Fortunately, there's some insight into this matter. Prior to the completion of the acquisition, Activision Blizzard took a proactive step to address speculation. On October 9, they made an official statement, confirming that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and another highly anticipated 2023 release, Diablo 4, won't be added to Game Pass "this year." However, they did provide hope by revealing their plans to start incorporating games into Game Pass in 2024.
In their statement, Activision Blizzard didn't definitively confirm that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Diablo 4 would be available on Game Pass in 2024, but they didn't rule it out either. This leaves room for optimism among gaming enthusiasts.
To make an educated guess about when Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard titles will land on Game Pass, we can draw parallels to Microsoft's acquisition of Zenimax Media, which included Bethesda. Microsoft swiftly integrated Bethesda games into Game Pass within weeks of the acquisition in March 2021. Initially, this included a selection of back catalog titles, and it wasn't until later that new releases like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo became day-one Game Pass offerings.
While Activision Blizzard is not moving as swiftly as Bethesda did, we can anticipate the arrival of back catalog games, possibly including older Call of Duty titles such as the previous two Modern Warfare games, on Game Pass early in 2024. Recent releases may need to wait a bit longer.
It's worth noting that Activision Blizzard has a marketing deal with Sony for Modern Warfare 3, which may delay its Game Pass availability for around six months to a year. Moreover, their Call of Duty series operates on an annual schedule, and Microsoft is likely to respect this well-established marketing and business plan. This suggests that Modern Warfare 3 may arrive on Game Pass toward the end of 2024, possibly in tandem with next year's Call of Duty release.
When it comes to other cherished Activision Blizzard titles like Diablo, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch, the situation varies. Diablo 4 is unlikely to arrive on Game Pass immediately, but older titles such as Diablo 3 and Diablo 2: Resurrected could be among the first to join the service.
World of Warcraft, with its enduring monthly subscription model, presents a unique challenge. While it turns 20 in 2024, it remains a profitable game. Whether Microsoft will be willing to forego this revenue stream in favor of bolstering Game Pass is uncertain, so we may not see it in the initial wave of Game Pass additions, if at all.
As for Overwatch 2, given its free-to-play nature, it is less affected by these considerations. Game Pass subscribers have already received some in-game perks, and additional Overwatch 2 benefits could arrive on Game Pass early in 2024.
Update (Oct. 13): This article has been updated to reflect the completion of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard on Oct. 13.
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