Microsoft reportedly plans to launch next Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass

Microsoft is reportedly planning a big change to the way it releases Call of Duty titles later this year.

Microsoft plans to put the next installment in the Call of Duty series on Xbox Game Pass at launch, according to a new report today by the Wall Street Journal.

CoD’s arrival on Xbox Game Pass has been the topic of speculation since Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard was made official in October 2023. If this report turns out to be true, Microsoft is seemingly wasting no time putting its most successful newly purchased IP on its popular streaming service.

The move to put the upcoming CoD, which is rumored to be Black Ops 6, on Xbox Game Pass could be an attempt by Microsoft to further bolster the subscriptions to the streaming service. Microsoft has already made big moves to bring up membership, including hosting an early launch of Starfield, Bethesda’s latest title and one of the most successful games of 2023.

While some people dread the pivot of new game releases to a subscription service like Xbox Game Pass, there is a case to be made that this is long overdue for the CoD series. Much of the major competition in the shooter space nowadays is free-to-play, like Fortnite, VALORANT, Overwatch 2, and Apex Legends. CoD manages to maintain relevance and large sales through its sheer brand power and its own battle royale mode turned full game Warzone, but Microsoft is clearly hoping to propel the series even further if this report is true.

This report has not been confirmed by Activision or Microsoft, but more news may come in the upcoming Xbox showcase, which is rumored to have the official reveal of the next CoD.