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The future of Call of Duty has closed in as Microsoft has been allowed to close its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, publisher of the major FPS franchise. The US judge gave the go-ahead to complete the deal, and now the only country opposing this arrangement is the UK which Microsoft is currently working on to complete the deal.
Phil Spencer, CEO of Xbox Game Studios, has revealed his plans for when Microsoft officially acquires Activision as well as information regarding Xbox Game Pass and Call of Duty. Details for the same are listed in this article.
When will Call of Duty games come to Xbox Game Pass?
Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that allows members to play games without purchasing them until their subscription expires. There are different levels that players can subscribe to, giving them access to various services. For example, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the highest level, gives members free in-game perks, exclusive member discounts, and everything other tiers have to offer.
Phil Spencer stated that when the deal closes, Call of Duty games will appear in Xbox Game Pass. The next game in the franchise is rumored to be Modern Warfare 3, but the title expected to be released in November this year is unlikely to be added to the service.
Call of Duty games will be added to Xbox Game Pass starting in 2025. The only hurdle before that happens is the completion of the acquisition process, which is expected to take place in the coming months since the US has already greenlit the deal. According to the official Microsoft document:
We expect benefits to start accruing within a reasonable time (although in practice there will likely be some delay between the completion of the merger and CoD’s arrival on Game Pass in 2025).
It is not known what game the publishers will release in 2025, but it is expected that in 2024 the next Black Ops title developed by Treyarch will be released, which will not be part of Xbox Game Pass.
The above projections consider the $68.7 billion deal closed. However, if that doesn’t happen, Microsoft will be liable to pay Activision-Blizzard $3 billion in breakup fees.
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