
One of the big reasons Xbox fans were so eager for Microsoft to purchase Activision Blizzard was the promise of the juggernaut publisherโs output being included in subscription Game Pass at no extra cost. However, it appears the bean counters at the Redmond firm are reconsidering, and Xbox Series X|S owners may have to pay the same price as PS5 fans to play this yearโs Call of Duty game, which is widely expected to be a Black Ops entry set during the Gulf War.
According to a sprawling report by The Vergeโs Tom Warren, the Redmond firm has been furiously debating whether to include Call of Duty in its subscription service. Hereโs the rub: the FPS franchise makes a lot of money through full-price sales, but if Microsoft were to honour its commitment of including first-party releases in Game Pass on day one, it stands to lose a significant chunk of change here. At a time when itโs desperately trying to cut costs, that seems dangerous.
Of course, the company finds itself between a rock and a hard place. Itโs repeatedly promised to its fans that all of its internally developed software will be included upon release with Game Pass, and it even appeared to extend that commitment to Activision Blizzard titles during its business update broadcast earlier in the year. One option might be for it to increase the monthly cost of its subscription, which is something itโs apparently been contemplating as well.
Itโs going to be fascinating to see which side of the fence it eventually falls on. Obviously, very little changes for PlayStation whatever it decides: Sony has a contract with Microsoft which will ensure Call of Duty continues to release on PS5 and beyond for at least the next decade, where itโll be flogged as a full-price title. Xbox, meanwhile, will need to determine what it favours more here: is it going to retain its promise to subscribers โ or simply renege on its word in favour of profitability?
[source theverge.com]
Comments 49
That's surprising considering they are raising the price for Game Pass
Im waiting for the backlash when they raise the GP price as mentioned above. A few quid more if you like COD isnt so bad but its a kicker if COD doesnt interest you.
Wouldnโt be surprised if they eventually released a tiered service with a higher price for the option that has the day one big releases.
@get2sammyb You called it yesterday.
What are your favourite six numbers between 1 & 59?
Bitten off more than they can chew.
Was always gonna be the case. Not sure what people expected, there is no way they could have been financially stable and release all Activision titles into GP day 1.
MS have a long history of 180โs on previous decisions so it wouldnโt surprise me if it left gamepass.
Didn't they say in court they wouldn't increase price of gamepass due to buying Activision though?
This could be the true beginning of the end for Game Pass - They put the new CoD on there and watch as billions vanish as barely anyone new joins Game Pass but a massive chunk of CoD's old revenue disappears because a large chunk of the playerbase already has Game Pass ~OR~ They don't put in Game Pass and only a fraction of players buy it because they fully and rightfully expect it to hit Game Pass because of Microsoft's past promises.
Whichever way this all shakes out I am expecting it to be an unmitigated disaster for Microsoft.
I hope I'm wrong, but only time will tell.
I don't think it's leadership at Xbox that's the problem anymore. It's super clear that it's Microsoft constantly meddling in Xboxs business. I get they're the parent company, but they need to let Xbox leadership make the decisions. Anyone can see it now. Microsoft it running Xbox into the ground man. It'll be PS and Nintendo as the only console options soon enough.
@Mintie I always feel if you like and want a game youโll pay for it. Gamepass seems so Zzz now
@11001100110zero They are paying the bills its the same with Playstation and Sony it would be stupid if it wasn't.
I have ps plus extra and barely use it. I keep the software on disc if I like it even if it comes to extra, chances are i shall drop to essential for multiplayer only at renewal. We don't appear to be the sheep they wanted us to be. And for xbox it seems it's now costing them a fair chunk.
That makes business sense.
Releasing games day 1 on gamepass 100% eats into potential sales.
Cod sells million of dollars, microsoft is a fool if they put the game on gamepass, especially if they want to get out of console race and become 3rd party publisher.
"Gamer" Phil Spencer's legacy at this rate will be succeeding in an entire couple of Xbox console generations of players no longer wanting to buy AAA or AA/Indies because they'll only play them on Gamepass!๐
The only reason Bobby Kotick backflipped on all things Gamepass & Microsoft was that multi million/billion golden parachute after spending all those millions in no fault legal settlements.
Before that he was deadset against it as far as Day One release on subscription services. Even the pricey third party marketing/dlc timed exclusives would only see older COD games on something like PS Plus long after the hard core fans had bought it.
With less $1 Live Gold deals than there used to be let's see how popular it is.
Promises? They're more a sort of guideline.
I donโt enjoy FPS games, which is why I donโt intend to renew my Game Pass subscription after it runs out. For people who love those games, Game Pass is an all you can eat buffet, and if a favorite menu item is leaving the restaurant, or never arrives after being promised, many patrons will go elsewhere.
I just need to finish Starfield after the big patch this month, then the Xbox Series X will be used as a very good media player.
Microsoft is in a terrible position. If they put Call of Duty on Game Pass, it'll take them far longer than the 20-30 years it will currently take for ABK to pay for itself. If they don't put Call of Duty on Game Pass, they greatly damage Game Pass, which is all Xbox has left.
So many news about Xbox here on PushSquare. What gives? I mean I would read them in PureXbox anyway, but seems like you guys are almost posting more news about Xbox than PS these last days. Trying to ride the wave of Xbox resentment a bit too much?
So we're getting xbox news on push square now?
@Randinator123 @FreasurePlanten
To be fair, Microsoft is swinging more and more towards becoming a 3rd party publisher with each passing day it seems like. So if anything I would say it's in everyone's best interests if sites everywhere cover topics involving Xbox at the moment including Push Square.
After all, it's the job of the press to report the news related to topics they cover. Push Square may obviously focus more on the Playstation side, but that doesn't mean they should just silo off topics involving the larger industry.
I've been saying for since the time that Spencer (looking particularly uncomfortable) announced the names of the first 4 games that would be coming to the PlayStation, that I believed these matters were no longer in his control.
These were diktats from above. Spencer is no longer in control of Xbox. It is as simple as that. The acquisition of ABK, ironically, could well be the things that finally sinks Xbox because ultimately, Microsoft don't understand gaming as much as they do making money. It's the money men calling the shots now, and whilst the decisions they make may make a boatload of cash now, it will probably hurt the Xbox brand and particularly the console, in the long-term.
Finally, I think there is only so much of this that Spencer will take before he moves on. I mean, no one wants to be the fall guy all the time, do they...?
@Korgon @Randinator123 I thought someone at PureXbox was accidently posting to here until I saw Sammy wrote this article. ๐
I'm all for cross coverage, I've been visiting these sites for like 15 years (16 next month๐ฑ) and it always bothered me in the past when even mentioning the other companies and consoles in the comments were verboten, got a few warnings over the years, so I'm glad to see it, but like 5 of the last 6 articles were Xbox related, so I agree it seemed a bit much all in a row like that. ๐คทโโ๏ธ
To be fair most of the other articles were Sony related with games going hither and fro, but this one does seem a little less relevant.
" where itโll be flogged as a full-price title "
So like Sony does w/ "MLB The Show" while MS puts it on Game Pass. ๐
@Fiendish-Beaver For the money he makes, I'll be a punching bag for a few years and then retire quietly. ๐
@FreasurePlanten I think this is relevant to PlayStation users. Many want to know whatโs going on with Call of Duty this year, as itโs the first one since the acquisition.
@11001100110zero i mean yes Microsoft heads are meddling, taking over but thats because microsoft invest like 80+ billion in acquisitions in past 3 years alone and ABK was the biggest in microsoft history. They are no longer a rounding error, and the heads of microsoft now want to see profits to earnback the investment. They could have stayed smaller and still have been allowed to have freedom even if continued as a loss leader pre-acquisition spree.
Additionally, Microsoft outside of xbox is actually a software anywhere company where they might also influence xbox to become truly a 3rd party as they have so spoken about play anywhere much in the past.
@Robocod i mean, he didnt really flip on it. He said many times during the acquisition and during trial that putting COD on Gamepass would not work and be feasable. Simply said the buy was what shareholders voted for as for reason the sale was happening
Xbox is dead, Game Pass is dead, and we won.
I always expect something like this could happen. There is no win for Microsoft here, whatever they choose. Last year they shift the blame on Sony and blind fanboys just take it but no excuse this year. A year old COD value has come down a lot as Sony usually gave out for free many times. But the new COD, no matter how bad the reviews are, always make loads of money. Will Microsoft break their promise (like they always do) and don't put it on GP day1? Or they keep their promise and eat their mega revenue loss? We shall see. Yes Playstation mostly contribute to the sale of COD but giving out the game free on whatever platform changes people's perceptions of that game's value, based on previous day 1 released games.
Maybe, @GamingFan4Lyf, but he's has made millions upon millions over the past 10 years alone, and leaving Xbox is not the same as retiring. I'm sure there are many firms out there that will provide him with a fulfilling job, and still possibly pay him millions... ๐
In the event of this years not being on Game Pass (and the backlash)...
"We have listened to you our fans, and going forwards from next year COD will be included in Game Pass. In fact Game Pass will become CODs real home, and all future COD games will only be available on Game Pass... including on OTHER consoles."
Then later...
"In order to make COD the best it can be, we unfortunately will have to raise our subscription costs by a small amount (and close a small number of studios). We have listened to our fans and quality COD games are at the forefront of what they want."
Sort of follows from a comment i wrote on another article.
I am not anti-MS and owned a MS console in the past - I am anti game pass.
This is what happens when you spend over $70 billion on an acquisition that gets litigated based on antitrust laws. Xbox is no longer a fringe aspect of Microsoft. It is now front and center for all shareholders who want to know how are you going to make money on this deal and why are you segregating software from Nintendo and Sony?
It reminds me of the saying, โBe careful what you wish for, you might just get it.โ
The Xbox faithful got it. Hope it was worth getting.
@Fiendish-Beaver Maybe I am just a humble guy, but if I made millions upon millions right now, I wouldn't care if I got canned or left of my own volition...it would be my retirement.
But...my house is paid off. My cars are all paid off. I have a healthy 401K. I am literally only working to save for retirement (and pay for my kid's schooling). Every paycheck I collect now is basically a retirement deposit (I'm only 43).
I'd just live the rest of my days off the interest in my bank accounts, sipping coffee and enjoying life if it came to being gone from a job that made me that rich. Screw work!
@Decimateh-xblz maybe they are increasing the price due to inflation
Must be slow news for Sony when this site keeps posting Xbox news
This is not surprising at all. There is no way Microsoft will want to lose out on all those potential sales dollars by putting CoD on Game Pass.
Iโve looked at gamepassโs library and thereโs literally nothing that Iโd want ๐คทโโ๏ธ even with cod
@Flaming_Kaiser I agree with you. But Sony leadership seems to know what they're doing. Microsoft is absolutely screwing Xbox.
Here's the irony: remember the "spend Sony out of business" quote? Well, now they'll think twice before executing on that intention, since they largely depend on PlayStation to sell their own titles.
The "flew too close to the sun" saying will never get old in this context.
Watch them go and make it a game pass add-on or something like that. Your choices will be game pass, game pass + cod or game pass ultimate, don't put it passed them. I think there was even a recent rumor for some kind of add supported game pass. Clearly big daddy Microsoft expects to start seeing real money coming from the xbox division now and not later.
You'd think they'd have figured this out before the approval of the acquisition. Everything about this buyout has become a disaster for Xbox.
@Cikajovazmaj Well People expect MS to keep its word as it has consistently stated that its games come to GP day 1. If they donโt then their GP model will crumble. Not that MS have any credibility in my view anyway.
@Sifi Yes because Phil Spencer is known for his honesty he's not an infamous BS spewer at all ๐
We all know the answer is they are going to do both, raise GP monthly cost while also not making Call of Duty available at release.
@11001100110zero Believe me Sony makes enough baffling choices were you start to question that. ๐
@Nepp67 source?
@tangyzesty this didn't age well
@Toot1st you haven't either
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