It was no secret that this year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 wasn't heading to Game Pass. It's a large part of the reason Microsoft was able to cut the price of Game Pass earlier this year, scoring Xbox a major win during Asha Sharma's first moves as Xbox CEO.
Now, while Sharma has scored some wins, we're all too aware of the concerns surrounding the next couple of months at Xbox, but I digress. What really caught my eye, however, is that Activision is now reportedly advertising Modern Warfare 4 online with a very specific message.
It states, and I quote, "NOT ON XBOX GAME PASS THIS YEAR," while urging people to pre-order the game, which also provides early access to the game's campaign.
I, myself, am actually fine with Call of Duty not being on Game Pass. As someone who didn't enjoy last year's Black Ops 7, even if I had, the money saved from the Game Pass price cut is enough to buy the game each year anyway, which is what I've typically done for my dad. This year, though, he's insisted on Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, despite my pleas to get 007: First Light instead, since we share games.
That said, Modern Warfare 4 does look pretty okay. It's still hard to say, as it does just look like another Call of Duty, but with promises to stay clear of goofy skins and the like, it's at least more promising than Black Ops 7 to me.
Despite it not necessarily being for me, I do still wish Activision the best. As someone who comes from a time when Call of Duty 4 dominated back in the Xbox 360 days, I hope a more grounded Call of Duty can help the franchise return to its roots, and a more grounded Call of Duty is definitely something I can get behind.
Maybe that's just me, though. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!
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