Microsoft is reportedly planning to put the unannounced 2024 Call of Duty game on Xbox Game Pass from day one. The move is supposedly meant to shakeup Microsoft’s videogame sales strategy and is expected to be announced at the Xbox Games Showcase held next month.
Call of Duty could reverse the stalled growth of Xbox Game Pass
Call of Duty has been a lucrative franchise for Activision. After staying far away from game subscription services like Game Pass, the games sell an average of 25 million copies at a retail price of $70 each. However, Microsoft is looking to shake this up according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. Non-mobile video game subscription spending has stalled according to analyst Mat Piscatella, and Microsoft is hoping that the 2024 Call of Duty game could help reverse the fortunes of Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass monthly subscriptions currently range from $9.99 for Xbox Game Pass Core to $16.99 for Game Pass Ultimate. While Call of Duty 2024 is only likely to be available to Ultimate subscribers, this still means that players can get access to the latest title for far less than they would have paid with the traditional approach. Instead, Microsoft is hoping the game will draw new users to Game Pass who will then subscribe for longer terms.
This approach to premium games has worked out for Microsoft before. Bethesda’s latest RPG Starfield was a day one release on Xbox Game Pass back in September. The game caused a record number of new subscriptions in a single day according to Microsoft’s October 24 earnings call, and the company will surely be hoping for a repeat performance.
These plans are expected to be confirmed during the Xbox Games Showcase due to air at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET on June 9. The showcase will then be followed by a Direct show for an unspecified game, which rumors also expect to be Call of Duty 2024.
