Call of Duty Game Pass release gets a disappointing update
The Activision Blizzard deal has been driving fans bonkers for as long as recent memory will allow, and the conversation around it has led to exhaustion for many. Fears about monopolising the gaming industry are fair, but all the while, Microsoft has tried to brute force the deal through the gate.
It's much to the behest of the governing bodies that have the final say. The end is finally in sight, and for many. it couldn't come soon enough. The immediate benefits players have been hoping for might not appear as fast as expected, with a major question mark over Call of Duty's potential arrival on Game Pass.
Does Call of Duty's Game Pass debut have a release date?
Click to enlargeSpeaking in conversation with IGN, Xbox head honcho Phil Spencer has dampened hopes that the appearance of Call of Duty on Game Pass isn't exactly going to be immediate. "I want to make sure people know that there's work to actually move games to Game Pass," said Spencer.
"So for people who think the deal's going to close, then everything's available. That's not true. And it hasn't been true in other acquisitions that we've done. There's work for us to go do, just mechanical work for us to go do. So it'll take us time, definitely time to get the games in the portfolio."
Spencer's sage words make sense, but after the intense wait that we've suffered for the deal actually going through in the first place, many had hoped that the company would be working double-time to make it happen. Unfortunately, there's another roadblock.
Ubisoft has the streaming rights for Call of Duty
Click to enlargeIn a shocking turn, and seemingly in one to appease the final boards to allow the processing of the deal, Xbox is selling the streaming rights for Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft. This will allow the fellow gaming giant to host CoD titles on Ubisoft+ in perpetuity.
It can't be said yet if the games will be disallowed from appearing on Game Pass too, but there will likely be a chance for players to access Call of Duty via game streaming on PlayStation as well as Xbox. If the plan for Xbox was to keep Call of Duty on Game Pass, it seems a lot less likely now. Then again, Spencer always has a Plan B.
