Call of Duty Joining Xbox Game Pass, Will Honour Same-Day Launch on PlayStation

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Call of Duty will join Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has confirmed. A Microsoft blog post details that Activision Blizzard's library of games will be available on the Xbox game subscription service, once the acquisition deal goes through. The lineup will also include other quality titles such as Overwatch and Diablo. That said, Call of Duty will not be treated as an Xbox-exclusive title. Going forward, Call of Duty will launch on Xbox Game Pass, while still maintaining a same-day PlayStation release.

The announcement comes after the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) — UK's regulatory body — concluded its initial investigation of Microsoft's $68 billion (about Rs. 5,41,800 crore) buyout of Activision Blizzard. The approval process has entered phase 2 and requires an “in-depth investigation.” As part of this new development, Spencer has announced two means of expansion for Xbox, which include Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard titles joining Game Pass. And second: bringing more games to mobile platforms.

Due to the Activision Blizzard acquisition, players were worried about the Call of Duty franchise getting hard-locked to Xbox, enabling PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. But in this new statement, Spencer has reiterated that the company is “committed” to making the same version of Call of Duty available on PlayStation on launch day. While there are no set details yet, this could mean that any console-exclusive bonuses or cosmetic items will be shared between both platforms.

“We know players benefit from this approach because we've done it with Minecraft, which continues to be available on multiple platforms and has expanded to even more since Mojang joined Microsoft in 2014,” he added. As