Regardless of how Microsoft’s acquisition of developer Activision Blizzard turns out, it appears that Call of Duty won’t be available on Game Pass for quite a while. Microsoft claimed in a recent filing that Sony’s ongoing contract has been blocking the Call of Duty series’ inclusion in the Xbox Games Pass for a number of years.
Many intriguing details have come to light as Microsoft competed to have its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision approved. Earlier this year, the tech giant revealed its plans to buy the huge gaming publisher, giving Xbox Game Pass complete control over games like Call of Duty, Overwatch, and others.
Call of Duty may not be available on Game Pass for a few more years
Microsoft contends that certain actions, including immediately including several Call of Duty games on the Game Pass membership, would be prohibited due to an agreement between PlayStation owner Sony and Activision Blizzard.
This is directly tied to the assertion that Microsoft made after Sony hit a snag with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, as we previously noted, and that Microsoft then began conducting a fierce defense against Sony. The CMA’s probe was supported by Phil Spencer’s tweet that claimed Microsoft would uphold Sony’s agreements with Activision.
Sony has chosen to make its best effort to convince the remaining authorities, even though several have already given their approval to the acquisition. The company draws attention to two aspects that it vehemently opposes, such as Call of Duty becoming an exclusive or being included in the Xbox Game Pass. And with valid reasons COD series is among the top-grossing PS4 and PS5 titles.
Microsoft reveals that it wanted to make Xbox Game Pass available on PlayStation. It presumably demonstrates that the company is not attempting to limit access to Call of Duty through subscription purchases to a certain platform. Though Sony has blocked Xbox Game Pass on PlayStation.
Additionally, Microsoft has previously asserted in documents submitted to Brazil’s national authority that Sony paid for blocking rights that restrict companies from adding games to their platform.
