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Orders Advertise It Ditching Game Pass
Kotaku • • technology
Key Points:
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will not launch on Xbox Game Pass, marking a reversal from the previous two years when new releases were available on the service from day one.
- Microsoft’s decision to exclude Call of Duty from Game Pass is driven by high subscription costs and subscriber churn linked to the inclusion of previous titles like Black Ops 6, which reportedly cost Microsoft around $300 million in lost revenue.
- Marketing for Modern Warfare 4 explicitly highlights that the game will not be on Game Pass, aiming to encourage pre-orders despite the service’s prior emphasis on offering new releases through the subscription.
- This shift reflects a broader strategic challenge for Microsoft, balancing the need to attract players with exclusive content while maximizing revenue by selling major titles across multiple platforms.
- Xbox’s longstanding promotion of “play it on Game Pass” is being reconsidered, at least for the Call of Duty franchise, as Microsoft adjusts its approach to its gaming ecosystem.
