Phil Spencer says more dev work required before Call of Duty games come to Xbox Game Pass

In a recent interview with veteran game journalist Stephen Totilo's Game File publication, Microsoft's Phil Spencer reaffirmed that all games from its many Xbox Game Studios developers - including those from ZeniMax/Bethesda and Activision Blizzard - will be launch on 'day one' on Xbox Game Pass. "Our intent is the full portfolio of games from ZeniMax, Activision Blizzard, and XGS-Xbox Game Studios-will be on Game Pass, day one," Phil said.

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This means Call of Duty 2024 will come to Xbox Game Pass. Of course, the game has yet to be formally revealed or announced. However, according to reports, this year's entry comes from Treyarch - the studio behind 2020's popular Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War entry. Rumors hint at a potential story and conflict set during the 1990s, with many suggesting a Gulf War theme for this year's CoD.

The next major Call of Duty coming to Xbox Game Pass represents a significant shift for the franchise - and it will be interesting to see what effect the move has on sales and Game Pass subscriptions. But what about the current Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 3, and legacy titles like the iconic Call of Duty 2 and 4? When will they come to Game Pass?

On that front, Phil Spencer confirms that the Xbox team is working diligently to get several legacy Activision Blizzard games to the subscription service. However, more 'back end work' must be completed before games can simultaneously hit Xbox Game Pass on PC and console.

"We're doing the back-end work to make them come to PC and console simultaneously," Phil Spencer said.

Diablo IV is the first Activision Blizzard game coming to Xbox Game Pass on PC and Console on March 28 and will pave the way for more games like Call of Duty coming soon. With Call of Duty 2024 expected to launch this holiday season, it's likely that the 'back-end work' will have been completed in time for the next juggernaut FPS release in the franchise.

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