What you need to know
- Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer spoke to Game File about a number of topics, including Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass.
- Per Spencer, Microsoft intends to launch Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass, just like all other Xbox first-party games.
- Spencer also spoke to Game File about physical games, saying that the Xbox strategy does not "hinge" on all players moving to digital.
One of the biggest franchises in gaming is headed to Xbox Game Pass.
That reaffirmation comes from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who spoke with Stephen Totilo of Game File on a number of topics, including industry layoffs, the future of physical games, and whether or not Call of Duty is coming to Xbox Game Pass.
“Our intent is the full portfolio of games from ZeniMax, Activision Blizzard and XGS —Xbox Game Studios —will be on Game Pass, day one,” Spencer says. While Microsoft finalized the acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October 2023, Activision Blizzard titles have not yet been added to the subscription service.
“We're doing the back end work to make them come to PC and console simultaneously,” Spencer added.
When Activision Blizzard was acquired, Spencer explained at the time that the delay in adding titles to Xbox Game Pass was because there was a lot of integration work that needed to happen for the teams and technology, work that was easier to do with ZeniMax Media — which Microsoft acquired in March 2021 — due to the merger process being far more certain all the way through.
When will Activision Blizzard games arrive on Xbox Game Pass?
Part of the big pull for Xbox Game Pass is that it includes access to all Xbox first-party games at launch, meaning players can play games like Pentiment and Starfield at launch without buying them. This feature was reaffirmed by president of Game Content and Studios Matt Booty during the recent update on the Xbox business.
While there's not a roadmap for when every Activision Blizzard game is arriving in Xbox Game Pass, the rollout is starting next month, with Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo 4 arriving in service for console and PC on March 28, 2024.
Is Xbox leaving discs behind?
In Spencer's interview with Totilo, the two also touched on the nature of physical games and concerns that Xbox intends to leave behind players with physical libraries. There's no concrete answers right now, but Spencer didn't indicate that leaving players behind is the plan.
“We are supportive of physical media, but we don't have a need to drive that disproportionate to customer demand,” Spencer says. “We ship games physically and digitally, and we're really just following what the customers are doing. And I think our job in running Xbox is to deliver on the things that a majority of the customers want. And right now, a majority of our customers are buying games digitally.”
“But I will say our strategy does not hinge on people moving all-digital,” he said. “And getting rid of physical, that's not a strategic thing for us,” Spencer added.
Our managing editor Jez Corden previously mentioned that he'd heard Microsoft was shutting down teams responsible for shipping the physical versions of games. More recently, we'd heard that they were not removing the capability but instead consolidating the teams responsible, something that Spencer seemingly affirmed to Totilo.
"So we have teams that are in charge of physical retail, inclusive of selling games in physical outlets. So that's what the team action was. It wasn't about us getting rid of the capability," Spencer said.
Analysis: Big questions for Xbox and Activision Blizzard
While the language remains a hair vague since this year's Call of Duty title — heavily reported to be a Black Ops game set in the Gulf War — hasn't actually been announced, it sounds like players can look forward to the Call of Duty franchise on Xbox Game Pass. I'll be curious to see when some older titles get added, and hopefully it won't be too long after Diablo 4 next month.
As for new Call of Duty entries launching on Xbox Game Pass, I'll be extremely curious how it affects sales, player count, and in-game spending. Call of Duty also already granted early campaign access to anyone that preordered the game, and I fully expect that'll stay in place to help secure some sales.
