Call of Duty PS5

Following reports of internal debates at Microsoft over whether the next Call of Duty entry should be part of Xbox Game Pass at launch following the firm's acquisition of Activision, a new article from the Wall Street Journal claims it has now settled on going forward with plans to bundle the FPS in with the subscription service straight away.

The report says: "Microsoft plans a major shakeup of its videogame sales strategy by releasing the coming installment of Call of Duty to its subscription service instead of the longtime, lucrative approach of only selling it a la carte." The all-new entry is rumoured to be part of the Black Ops sub-series, and the game — which will also release for PS5 and PS4 — is expected to be revealed next month directly after the Xbox Games Showcase on 9th June 2024.

Previously, it was reported Microsoft was internally weighing up the cost of putting the franchise on Xbox Game Pass, and how much money it might lose out on given each instalment is always one of the best-selling games every year. It appears the Xbox owner has fallen on the side of allowing subscribers access to the next FPS from day one, though this may make another suggestion supposedly bounced around privately at Microsoft a more realistic prospect: increasing the price of Xbox Game Pass once more.

What Microsoft ends up doing will have little impact on the PS5, PS4 versions of the game, as they'll release as usual at $70 for at least the next decade. Expect to learn more about the next Call of Duty title next month, including gameplay and a suggested October 2024 release date.

[source wsj.com]