Sony recently confirmed June's PS Plus Essential Tier selection as NBA 2K23, Jurassic World Evolution 2, and Trek to Yomi. It remains to be seen how the PS free games for June 2023 are fully received, but it seems safe to say it's been a step-up over the past couple of months. However, many PS Plus subscribers may be surprised by the lack of a Call of Duty game.
Of course, there is still time this summer for this to change, but it's unlikely to. While there has been a Call of Duty game released on PS Plus practically every summer since 2018, all of them came before Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition. Despite some bumps in the road, particularly with the CMA, it seems that the acquisition is all but a done deal now. It's impossible to say what happens behind closed doors, but the very open mudslinging between Microsoft and Sony hasn't seemingly interrupted business as usual. Several Microsoft-owned games like Skyrim and Pillars of Eternity have appeared on PS Plus Extra and Premium in recent months.
However, again not knowing how it's playing out behind closed doors, that doesn't seem to be the case for Sony and Activision Blizzard given the latter's beloved IP, Call of Duty, is at the heart of it all. There's plenty more coming to Microsoft's domain if the acquisition closes, but this single IP has been at the crux of it all, an IP that has had Sony exclusivity written all over it for the past several years (and Microsoft before that). Either way, Call of Duty has been something of a summer tradition for PS Plus, and connected or not, it seems to be coming to an end.
PS Plus' Call of Duty Tradition
- 2018: Black Ops 3
- 2019: Modern Warfare Remastered* (Exception to the Summer release)
- 2020: WWII and Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
- 2021: Black Ops 4
Black Ops 3 hit PS Plus in June 2018, Modern Warfare Remastered struck out on its own and was released earlier in March 2019, WWII and Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered were both summer PS Plus games in 2020, and Black Ops 4 was the last to join in July 2021. No Call of Duty game has been released later than July for the service, meaning it technically has one more month to uphold this tradition, but it's uncertain if that will happen. It should obviously be noted that no Call of Duty game released in 2022, but given the complexities of the service, it's not uncommon for there to be a blip or two in any pattern or tradition (after all, 2019's CoD game hit the service before summer). One missed year doesn't necessarily mean the end of the tradition, but two certainly spells it.
If Sony decides to break from tradition, then it'll be interesting to see what else releases on PS Plus this summer. If it does snag a Call of Duty game for the summer, there are a few obvious contenders. Since Black Ops 4 was the last title, the obvious answer appears to be Modern Warfare (and it's an added bonus that it's one of the most popular entries in recent years). However, it would be impossible to rule out Call of Duty games like Black Ops Cold War or Vanguard. But it's hard to say and, at the time, all of these titles feel unlikely.
PS Plus subscribers get a handful of games every month.
Summer Background Image Attribution: Pikisuperstar on Freepik