Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass is set to receive a major addition with the arrival of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” on Wednesday. This marks the first time a “Call of Duty” game will be available on the subscription service, which offers users access to a wide variety of games, deals, and discounts for a monthly or yearly fee.
The news of this addition comes shortly after Microsoft announced price increases for certain Game Pass tiers. The most premium tier, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, will see its monthly cost rise from $16.99 to $19.99, while the PC Game Pass will increase from $9.99 to $11.99 per month. In addition, a new “standard” Game Pass tier will be introduced at $14.99 a month in September.
Some users expressed frustration with the price hikes, especially since they will take effect before the release of the highly anticipated “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” in October, which will also be available on Xbox Game Pass. This move could potentially incentivize users to maintain or purchase the more expensive subscription to avoid paying full price for the $70 game.
The addition of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” to Game Pass is seen as a direct benefit of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the publishers behind the “Call of Duty” franchise. The subscription service already offers a range of popular games, including sports titles like “Madden” and “MLB The Show,” as well as shooters like “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege” and adventure games like “Sea of Thieves.”
However, the price increases and changes to the subscription model have raised concerns, with the Federal Trade Commission accusing Microsoft of “product degradation” due to the new standard Game Pass tier not including access to day-one titles like “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.” The FTC also highlighted the price hikes as potentially harmful to consumers, an issue that arose following Microsoft’s merger with Activision.
As of February, there were 34 million Game Pass subscribers, according to The Verge. The addition of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III” is expected to further strengthen the lineup of games available on the service, despite the upcoming cost changes and controversy surrounding the new pricing structure.
Overall, the inclusion of the popular “Call of Duty” franchise on Xbox Game Pass offers exciting opportunities for gamers, but the looming price increases and concerns raised by the FTC suggest that the gaming subscription landscape may be entering a period of change and uncertainty.
