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The new Call of Duty installment set to release later this year is massively anticipated by the community. The series is now under the ownership of Microsoft following their acquisition of Activision and Blizzard, and there are reports that it could possibly launch day one on Xbox Game Pass. This has resulted in rumors that Call of Duty 2024 could result in a price increase for Xbox Game Pass along with new tiers.
As of writing, we haven’t officially seen anything of the new CoD rumored to take place during the Gulf War. Reports say it will be heavily shown off at the Xbox summer showcase in June, but there is the belief that it will first be revealed before the end of May. The release date has possibly leaked for late-October, and leaked pre-order bonuses point to early access incentives.
While the game will be available to buy on PlayStation, the Xbox community is understandably excited about the prospect of it landing on Game Pass from day one of its release. Although the excitement is understandable, there is reports that there could be the ramifications of a price hike.
Call of Duty 2024 might result in Xbox Game Pass price increase
We previously reported that Microsoft is planning to bring Call of Duty 2024 Black Ops 6 to Xbox Game Pass. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal who claim that an official announcement will be made at the Xbox summer showcase in June.
Previous CoDs coming to Game Pass is a no-brainer, but there’s always been the question of whether Microsoft would immediately release new installments day one onto their subscription service. Microsoft always releases new Xbox exclusives onto Game Pass right away, but there was always the feeling that CoD may be too big to give away along with the fact it’s still multi-platform and not console exclusive.
Assuming Microsoft does announce Black Ops 6 for Xbox Game Pass, there could be the consequences of a price increase. As previously reported by the Verge, there are concerns within Microsoft “that the revenue that Call of Duty typically generates for Activision Blizzard will be undermined by Game Pass”.
As for how Microsoft plans to combat the loss in revenue, The Verge reported that “Microsoft has also considered increasing the price of Game Pass Ultimate again”. No final decision has been made according to The Verge, but internal discussions and debates have occurred.
Following the Wall Street Journal’s report about Call of Duty 2024 coming to Xbox Game Pass, reliable industry insider Shinobi602 posted “There will be changes, yes,” in response to speculation on ResetEra about a new fee and tiers. Fellow industry insider, NateDrake, also said “Changes are coming in the form of pricing and a tier change”.
An increase in price wouldn’t be surprising, but, assuming it does happen, the hike needs to be reasonable. As for the prospect of a new tier, this is the most interesting rumor as it seemingly suggests Microsoft will add benefits to differentiate from Ultimate. Right now Ultimate costs £12.99 per month, meanwhile, Game Pass on PC is £7.99 per month.
For more Call of Duty, we have a hub discussing all of the leaks and rumors so far.
