Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass isn’t necessarily a win for gamers

techradar.com:

Microsoft has confirmed its plan to bring Call of Duty to Xbox Game Pass should it successfully acquire Activision Blizzard, but UK regulators think it could do more harm than good.

Speaking about Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard in a blog post(opens in new tab), Xbox boss Phil Spencer clarified the tech giant’s ambitions. He said Microsoft wants to put Activison’s major gaming series on Xbox Game Pass, pitching the move as a win for players.

“We intend to make Activision Blizzard’s much-loved library of games – including Overwatch, Diablo and Call of Duty – available in Game Pass and to grow those gaming communities,” said Spencer. “By delivering even more value to players, we hope to continue growing Game Pass, extending its appeal to mobile phones and any connected device.”

Microsoft had committed to bringing “as many Activision Blizzard games as [it could]” to Game Pass in its initial acquisition announcement(opens in new tab). Spencer’s statement confirms the scope of that idea, and goes further to suggest that bringing Activision's games into the Game Pass ecosystem will improve player choice.

“Subscription services like Game Pass make gaming more affordable and help players from all over the world find their next favorite game," said Spencer. «Game Pass empowers developers to bring more games to more players, not fewer.”

He also reiterated Microsoft’s commitment “to making the same version of Call of Duty available on PlayStation on the same day the game launches elsewhere”. Fans have worried that Microsoft will make the series exclusive to Xbox consoles, as it did with Starfield after acquiring Bethesda last year.

But Spencer doesn’t specify whether other, less commercially important Activation