You might have to pay a lot more to get Call of Duty on Game Pass
With Microsoft's fingers tightening around those of Activision, solidifying the handshake that will seal the deal, the Xbox giants are already bubbling a cauldron to see what mischief can be achieved with the Call of Duty franchise in the meantime.
Microsoft has already bewitched Call of Duty fans with the re-activation of classic games, casting a nostalgic spell on the long-time advocates of the series.
But with Xbox mixing up its Game Pass subscriptions, if you had any hopes of securing some cheap Call of Duty content, then you might be sorely mistaken.
Call of Duty could be Game Pass Ultimate-Only
Click to enlargeCall of Duty's arrival to Game Pass might not come until 2025, but it also might not be quite as you'd expect.
According to documents found within Microsoft's merger agreement case with the European Commission, Activision Blizzard games will likely be reserved for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, and will skip over the new Core, Console, and PC tiers.
The court filings read, "The Commission reiterates that, post-transaction, Activision Blizzard's games will likely be included in Game Pass Ultimate only, as opposed to other providers of cloud game streaming".
Call of Duty's Game Pass arrival will be pricey, Captain Price-y
Game Pass Ultimate is a $16.99/£12.99 subscription per month, as Xbox Live Gold is being sunsetted. This eclipses the Core and PC subscriptions priced at $9.99/£6.99 and the Console version at $10.99, making it at least $5 per month ($60 a year) more.
Thankfully, already 70-80% of Game Pass subscribers are already hooked on Ultimate, although this might drop significantly when the new systems come into play on September 1.
What versions of Call of Duty will arrive is yet to be seen, although it's likely that the classic titles that have just been re-released will all find their way onto the ever-growing Ultimate portfolio.
