Highlights
- Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard will eventually bring a ton of games to Xbox Game Pass, including the popular Call of Duty franchise.
- While brand-new Call of Duty games may not be available on Game Pass right away, classic titles like Ghosts and Black Ops 2 could be added in the future.
- The addition of Call of Duty games to Game Pass, even the older ones, is significant due to their enduring popularity and the fact that some are still sold at full price.
It looks like Call of Duty games could be coming to Xbox Game Pass at some point in the near future. One of the main reasons why Microsoft has been so aggressive with company acquisitions is to secure content for its Xbox Game Pass subscription service. Once Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal goes through, it will suddenly have a ton of games from the company that it can use to bolster Game Pass.
The Call of Duty franchise is one of the biggest gaming franchises of all time, and so it will be a big deal when the games are eventually added to Game Pass. Existing deals with PlayStation mean fans shouldn't expect brand-new Call of Duty games to come to Game Pass on day one for a couple of years yet, but that doesn't mean the classic CoD titles can't come to Game Pass after the deal is closed.
Plans to add classic Call of Duty games to Xbox Game Pass have yet to be announced, but there is evidence to suggest that work is already being done to bring CoD to Microsoft's subscription service. Various users online have received messages that point to the Call of Duty games being prepped for Game Pass, with older titles like Call of Duty: Ghosts and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 mentioned specifically. At this point, it's not a matter of if, but when Call of Duty will come to Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is expected to be finalized in October. It's possible that a bunch of Activision Blizzard-published games, including the Call of Duty titles, will be added to Xbox Game Pass as soon as the deal closes, but it's also possible that Microsoft will wait for a later date to add the games. Call of Duty fans and Xbox Game Pass subscribers will simply have to wait for more information on that front.
And while some may not see the value in adding old games to Xbox Game Pass, it's worth pointing out that the Call of Duty titles are persistently popular, with active multiplayer scenes even a decade after their original release. And not only that, but some of the classic Call of Duty games are still sold at full price, like Black Ops 2, for instance. Obviously brand-new, day one Call of Duty games will mean more for Game Pass in the long run, but the classic CoD games are still sure to make a splash.