Key Highlights:
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III joins Xbox Game Pass on 24th July.
- First Call of Duty title on Game Pass since Microsoft’s Activision acquisition.
- Move comes ahead of September’s Game Pass price increases.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Storms onto Xbox Game Pass
In a move that’s sure to excite FPS fans, Microsoft has announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will be joining the Xbox Game Pass library this week.
The game will be available to subscribers starting Wednesday, 24th July, which as of this writing is today!
This addition comes as part of Microsoft’s strategy following its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year.
Modern Warfare III is only the second Activision Blizzard game to hit Game Pass since the purchase, with Diablo 4 having made its debut on the service back in March.
Game Pass subscribers will have access to all of Modern Warfare III’s content, including its single-player campaign, multiplayer modes, and the open-world Zombies experience.
This comprehensive offering provides a wealth of content for both solo players and those who enjoy competitive online gameplay.
The timing of this announcement is particularly interesting, as it comes just weeks before Microsoft’s planned price hike for its Xbox Game Pass services.
Starting 12th September, subscribers will see increases of up to 25% in some regions. For instance, Game Pass Ultimate will rise to $19.99 a month, up from its current $16.99.
Along with these price changes, Microsoft is introducing a new tier system. The basic catalogue tier, now known as Xbox Game Pass Standard, will no longer provide day-one access to first-party and select other titles.
This benefit will be reserved for subscribers of Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Black Ops 6 will be joining too
Looking ahead, Microsoft has also confirmed that this year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available on the subscription service too when it launches on 24th October.
However, only Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers will have day-one access to this highly anticipated title.
The addition of Modern Warfare III to Game Pass is likely aimed at softening the blow of the upcoming price increases and encouraging subscribers to stick with or upgrade their subscriptions.
It’s a strong offering of one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world that demonstrates the value proposition of the service, even with the impending changes.
For Call of Duty fans, this move represents an excellent opportunity to dive into the current instalment without an additional purchase.
It also signals Microsoft’s commitment to bringing more Activision Blizzard titles to the service in the future, potentially changing how players access one of gaming’s biggest franchises.
There will however be a lot of angry gamers out there that won’t take kindly to this news.
For anyone who’s not an avid COD fan, many deem this FPS series to be the sole reason for the price hike, so if you don’t care about Call of Duty and you’re an Xbox owner, you can understand their frustration.
Let us know where you’re at in regards to this situation by leaving a comment below.