Rumors about “Call of Duty” on Game Pass already appeared on the first day. Microsoft’s strategy is clear: it needs an avalanche of subscriptions

First leaks of Microsoft’s plans point to landing in subscription service

Since the news of Microsoft’s intention to buy Activision Blizzard, and following the entire 21-month legal process that ended with the company achieving its goal, one franchise has stood out among all as an obvious part of the interests that moved with this operation: Call of Duty ” The military first-person shooter is the crown jewel of Activision’s catalogue, and there have always been rumors that Microsoft might be interested in using it to bolster its Game Pass offering.

Game Pass for a Thousand Yards. While obviously the most logical option for Microsoft would be to sell future installments of the saga separately and in a multi-platform manner in order to compress the saga’s commercial opportunities, The Wall Street Journal claims that its intentions may be different and launch it directly on Game Pass. Of course, this won’t mean exclusivity: the game will still be released on PlayStation, and non-Game Pass users on Xbox and PC will have the option to purchase it themselves. But Game Pass will have this from day one.

Dizzying numbers. $68.7 billion is what it cost Microsoft to buy Activision, and $30 billion is what the Call of Duty franchise has earned to date thanks to 25 million copies sold throughout its history. Microsoft is clearly interested in carefully exploiting this valuable property to ensure it generates maximum profits. The question is how much more and better he can actually achieve with his first day of Game Pass subscription.

Dilemma. Before that, Microsoft has a solution that, if not implemented correctly, could cause it more than one headache. Call of Duty is one of the few modern video game franchises that is still famous enough to generate sales on its own by delivering at full price from day one. But… to what extent is Microsoft willing to sacrifice those sales in exchange for more Game Pass subscriptions that it likely won’t get with any other franchise? In fact, “Call of Duty” was at the center of all the problems that delayed Activision’s legal acquisition process so much: the saga could give Microsoft a near-monopoly advantage over cloud gaming.

The precedent of “Star Field”. The launch of Bethesda’s latest blockbuster (which went through a process similar to Activision’s a few years earlier when it was acquired by Microsoft), Starfield, on Game Pass on day one could be considered a small preview for the arrival of Call of Duty at your service. . The numbers were significant, even in sales outside of Game Pass, but the impact was felt primarily on the service itself: Microsoft claims they broke the record for the most new Game Pass subscriptions on launch day. Specific numbers are unknown, but if they prove attractive enough, Microsoft could consider surpassing them with “Call of Duty.”

More players. Last October, Activision Blizzard posted on social media: “While we have no plans to include Modern Warfare 3 or Diablo 4 on Game Pass this year, once the agreement is closed, we hope to begin working with Xbox to release our games. to more players around the world. The latest version of Diablo arrived on Game Pass last March, and the goal is clear: more and more Game Pass subscribers. At the moment (February 2024) there are about 34 million subscribers, but it is clear that Microswoft is going to do everything possible to ensure that their number grows without brakes.

Title | Microsoft

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