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Playing Call of Duty games, including the day one release of the latest title on Game Pass, sounds promising at first. In fact, one would delightfully purchase the service for that on their PC or Xbox. However, when you think about how it affects the upcoming CoD games, that’s where things get foxy. This is just the tip of the iceberg, where Microsoft owning the franchise changes CoD‘s fate forever. And things start with that promise of the “day one” release of the new Call of Duty titles on Game Pass, including Black Ops 6.
Incoming Call of Duty: Microtransactions Warfare
The idea of having previous Call of Duty titles on Game Pass is just fine. Hell, I’d even say that it’s pretty generous of Microsoft to allow fans to enjoy games like Call of Duty: WWII without having to pay $70 for a game that’s more than five years old. But if Game Pass is about to bring the new Call of Duty releases on the line, that’s a big no on my list, and here’s why.
Imagine you’re marketing a AAA title every year that sells like hotcakes, and one day, you get a deal to release the same titles on a service owned by someone else. And if that’s by force or anything, you’d try to sell more in-game items instead to make up for the money you’ve lost for selling the game itself. Well, that’s the peak of microtransactions over there.
To make things even more horrible, you should note that Activision is already doing this, even when their half-baked MW3 is still selling on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation! Just take a look at the trailer they’ve released for Warzone and MW3 Season 3; they don’t even make story cutscenes featuring their front characters like Makarov. Instead, the whole trailer showcases the bundles, new weapons, and the Premium Battle Pass, priced at $29.99.
So if the upcoming Call of Duty game is going to reserve a seat on Game Pass, it’s quite fair to say that it’d be so scary for fans like me who love this franchise. Activision will just double the stacks of in-game store bundles with non-related Call of Duty scope while gradually removing the original content we used to have in previous games.
Less Call of Duty Quality
Speaking of content, Modern Warfare 3is live proof of what awaits. As of right now, the game is still up in the store for $70, and it’s viewed to be a DLC of MW2 in reviews. I’d say the developers have made the contrasts clear by changing the gameplay to a better version of MW2. However, judging by the content, 2023 was a disappointment for CoD.
MW3 features one of the worst Campaign modes, and the support for its Zombies Co-Op experience nearly ended as soon in the first season of the game. Now, when I have this in mind, it’s so hard to believe that Call of Duty is going to give me its next title with Game Pass and that it’s going to be way better than what I bought last year for $70.
So this might just mean that Call of Duty on Game Pass is not going to feature its basic quality in the upcoming years. That represents less Co-Op content, short-living Campaign stories, and probably an AI-generated Multiplayer that gets two new weapons and a bunch of remake maps every season. This is what happened to Arkane, the developer of Dishonored and Thief when Microsoft bought their properties to make Redfall an Xbox exclusive title. And well, Arkane Studios got shut down by the big M for that.
What If Things Are Different?
It’s a big stretch to think that Call of Duty will make a huge comeback in 2024 and 2025, assuming that both games will become available to play on day one on Game Pass. However, if that’s not the play they’re about to make, then we could be seeking something here.
Earlier this week, the President of Xbox Sarah Bond, stated that every first-party title will be available on Game Pass on day one. This is the comment behind all the Call of Duty buzz going on in the community. And to say one positive thing about it, it’s that Call of Duty is still not exclusive on Xbox and PC, so her statement might just ignore Black Ops 6 and the upcoming Call of Duty titles on Game Pass.
That said, we might be still receiving older Call of Duty titles like Vanguard, Black Ops Cold War, Modern Warfare remasters and many more on Game Pass. From this angle, this is just great news. It’d be like other game series including FIFA, WWE 2K, Need For Speed, Battlefield, and a lot more.
As dark as it gets with new Call of Duty titles coming to Game Pass on day one, it’s still bright if things get otherwise. Activision will further expand its player base by allowing more people to play older Call of Duty games, and it still manages to sell their new title, which arrives on Game Pass later that year. So far on this story, that’s the best I can hope to happen for Call of Duty.
