Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which will give them control of the Call of Duty franchise, is still ongoing. Although Microsoft has stated its intention to add Call of Duty to the Xbox Game Pass, Activision’s agreement with Sony prevents it from occurring for “a number of years.”
Update, August 26, 2024: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops 6 are both included in Xbox Game Pass, with the latter joining the service on “day one” of release.
Call of Duty May Not Be Added to Game Pass for “Many Years”
Earlier this year, Microsoft claimed Sony stopped some developers from releasing their games on Xbox Game Pass. The firm said in an August petition to Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) that Sony pays for so-called “blocking rights” to keep some titles from being included.
Microsoft now asserts that the Call of Duty franchise cannot be added to Xbox Game Pass because of PlayStation’s current agreement with Activision. This isn’t a surprise given that there hasn’t yet been a Call of Duty game on Xbox, but Microsoft is using it to counteract Sony’s complaints and concerns with the Microsoft and Activision partnership.
We kinda knew this already, but Microsoft makes it clear that Sony's deal for Call of Duty includes "restrictions on the ability of Activision Blizzard to place Call of Duty titles on Game Pass for a number of years." https://t.co/BfdfbE1Ae7 pic.twitter.com/37nEXYjfuj
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 18, 2022
Activision and Sony allegedly reached a deal that “places constraints on Activision Blizzard’s ability to place Call of Duty titles on Game Pass for a lot of years,” according to a tweet from The Verge’s Tom Warren.
Microsoft previously confirmed its intention to include the much-popular franchises from Activision Blizzard, such as Overwatch, Diablo, and Call of Duty, in the Xbox Game Pass.
On the other hand, Sony was worried that Call of Duty might become an Xbox exclusive, but Microsoft has emphasized that the acquisition won’t impact it. The company made several announcements that Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation. “In January, we provided a signed agreement to Sony to guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation with feature and content parity, for at least several more years beyond the current Sony contract,” Microsoft said. “This offer goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements.”
