After what seemed like a falter, Microsoft is doubling down on its game subscription service
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Microsoft intends to use its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard by releasing the next Call of Duty game directly on its Game Pass subscription service, the Wall Street Journal reports. The WSJ says the plan will be announced at Xbox's annual summer showcase on June 9.
The move has been expected ever since Microsoft first announced its intention to buy the publisher. Call of Duty is Activision's biggest franchise, and its potential value for Game Pass was thought to be the crown jewel of the acquisition — especially after Microsoft made it clear that it wouldn't consider making the Call of Duty game console exclusive to Xbox.
But there were still persistent doubts that Microsoft would pull the trigger and make Call of Duty a day-one version of Game Pass. The series, which is released at full price every calendar year, is hugely lucrative, selling around 25 million copies annually. The financial wisdom of allowing these sales to be cannibalized as a loss leader to grow subscriptions has been questioned.
