WSJ - Xbox Plans to Put COD on Game Pass

Story

“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.”

If this doesn’t bump up subscription numbers I’m not sure what will. Kudos to Xbox for sticking to their guns

This is only news to a certain breed of folks.

Fresh as last week's headlines. lol :P

They bought companies with successful IPs in an effort to strengthen GamePass, and now they are putting those games on Game Pass.

“Microsoft has reportedly decided to add the next installment of Call of Duty to Xbox Game Pass. The Wall Street Journal reportsthat Microsoft will announce that Call of Duty is coming to its game subscription service during the company's Xbox showcase on June 9th.

I reported earlier this month that Microsoft had been debating whether to put new releases of Call of Duty into Game Pass, with concerns from some at the company that the revenue generated from typical Call of Duty sales would be undermined by Game Pass. Activision traditionally sells copies of Call of Duty for around $70 or more, selling more than 20 million copies on average

“The briefWall Street Journalreport doesn't make it clear whether Microsoft plans to charge extra forCall of Dutyinside Game Pass, nor whether the company will raise its Game Pass Ultimate subscription fee. I understand Microsoft has been considering raising the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate pricing again. Activision is currently targeting a late October release of the nextCall of Duty, which is rumored to be set during the '90s Gulf War.”

wasn't this already a headline like a week ago?..

Xbox Exec Suggests Call of Duty 2024 Will Launch Straight Into Game Pass

@Antwan3K: This must be one of those "Look I am not bias" threads 🤷‍♂️

Killin me...

lolol :P

They need to stick to their guns.

Getting COD on GamePass is pretty big make it or break it moment for them.

fixed that for you.. 👍

It is pretty big. And it's also an incredibly pivotal moment for Xbox. Would you not agree?

🏃🏾‍♂️

@ghostofgolden said:

🏃🏾‍♂️

So a low risk venture for Xbox to have it on Gamepass.🤷🏽‍♂️

@Pedro said:

@ghostofgolden said:

🏃🏾‍♂️

So a low risk venture for Xbox to have it on Gamepass.🤷🏽‍♂️

Incredibly low risk. Like it almost couldn’t be lower

Why is that news? OF COURSE they were.

This came up days ago and it was old news even then.

They already said the next COD game would launch on Game Pass months back.

The only ambiguity is over rest of COD games that haven't released on Game Pass. MS can't say even they'll come because whatever is keeping those off Game Pass has to do with ABK's previous deal with Sony to expire, that'll also precludes them from explicitly saying when they'll come. Safe to say, a few more months.

It's new news to me🤷‍♂️

Seems like it would a good move by MS that may give a boost to their platform. For those who doubt MS's strategies, if they needed a Hail Mary then this would be it. For those who feel they are in a good position already, then this would solidify it.

Cool. That’s where I’ll be playing it then.

That's really cool. If this model works for xbox this is only great news for PS owners as xbox will be confident enough release other games on gamepass but at the same time with day one port to sony platforms. I see this as a great win win situation I get to play most games without needing to buy a new platform. Imagine buying xbox in 2024 lmao.

"pivotal" =/= "make it or break it" but sure, .. having Call of Duty in Game Pass is a great way to advertise the service..

@Pedro said:

@ghostofgolden said:

🏃🏾‍♂️

So a low risk venture for Xbox to have it on Gamepass.🤷🏽‍♂️

With PS only at 16%, might as well release it on PS Plus as well.

You're arguing semantics; it's a pivotal / crucial / key moment because it is "make it or break it".

I'll lay it out clean for folks ... if COD on GamePass doesn't move the needle for GamePass and the Xbox console, then they should just accept those things are not the way to move forward with their business. That is a "make it or break it" situation.

@ghostofgolden said:

🏃🏾‍♂️

i wonder how much that chart will shift now that PlayStation will no longer have marketing rights and will no longer be making exclusivity deals to keep content off Xbox.. that and the fact that the game will be available in Game Pass..

going to be interesting to say the least..

no, you're the one arguing semantics.. Xbox has stated, repeatedly, that Game Pass is already financially viable, sustainable, and profitable..

getting a AAA mass-market title like Call of Duty into Game Pass on Day One is indeed a pivotal moment.. but that does not equate to a "make it or break it" situation..

Please stop saying CEO's think like people like you and me :p

But yeah in all seriousness I want to play MW2 & 3 campaigns on Gamepass.

@ghostofgolden: I'm surprised how big PC's market share is for CoD. I've though of it as console focused since the first Modern Warfare.

I'm not the one changing the words in someone else's post but, OK.

I stand by my statement.

They should reevaluate the direction of their business if COD doesn't move the needle for GamePass and the Xbox console.

you're welcome to your opinion.. but why exactly should they "reevaluate" the direction of a business that's already profitable in terms of Game Pass and just grew 62% in content/services revenue and grew 51% in overall gaming revenue?..

I was expecting it. Made no sense not to.

@Antwan3K said:

@ghostofgolden said:

🏃🏾‍♂️

i wonder how much that chart will shift now that PlayStation will no longer have marketing rights and will no longer be making exclusivity deals to keep content off Xbox.. that and the fact that the game will be available in Game Pass..

going to be interesting to say the least..

The Xbox chunk is going to increase by a ton. It should easily pass PS with all the Game Pass folks who would never buy COD trying it out.

@kvallyx said:

@Pedro said:

@ghostofgolden said:

🏃🏾‍♂️

So a low risk venture for Xbox to have it on Gamepass.🤷🏽‍♂️

With PS only at 16%, might as well release it on PS Plus as well.

PS would have to pay Xbox a licensing fee. They are already giving Xbox 30%. Ain’t no way they are gonna give them more money

i don't know about a "ton" but there should be a significant shift.. heck, i haven't bought a Call of Duty title in forever but i'll atleast give the campaign a try if it's in Game Pass..

i personally think the marketing will make the biggest difference.. a lot of people are still playing on last generation hardware so seeing those CoD commercials with the Xbox logo will be a potential driving force when new purchases are made.. that said, people are still "locked in" with digital libraries so who knows.. i guess time will tell..

ultimately, that entire chart belongs to Xbox now so not really sure if it matters.. 🤷‍♂️

Well yeah, but there’s plenty of relevance for a platform breakdown. PS and PC sales mean Xbox is giving up a 30% cut. As well as what @Pedro pointed out with Xbox’s 8% representing a low risk impact of putting COD on Game Pass. That 8% may shrink, but there’ll be a lot more Xbox eyes on the Battle Pass and COD store. And they may sell a few more consoles

Yeah, but also gaining a 70% cut from all PlayStation and PC sales plus a 100% cut from Xbox sales.. it really seems like you're concentrating too hard on that 30%..

So, again, not really sure if the breakdown even matters when just about all the pie is going to Xbox..

Game Pass subs have a potential to grow from Call of Duty advertising and, as you said, that just puts more eyeballs on Battlepasses and other MTX..

seems like a pretty good deal all around..

I wouldn't play Call of Duty even if it was on Game Pass. The game has become a parody of itself

Well, we can't really compare our own understanding of money to Microsoft, the richest company in the world. I don't see how even CoD will boost gamepass subscriptions. Well whatever. I didn't care much about cod from the start and don't care now.

Uh oh

Look at GP price increase by 30%+ two months before CoD launches

Will you subscribe?

A price increase to Game Pass certainly wouldn’t surprise me. As long as I feel that it’s worth it’s value to me then I’ll continue to subscribe to it.