Activision has launched a promotional campaign for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 that directly addresses its absence from Xbox Game Pass at launch, a significant shift from recent franchise entries. The advertising explicitly informs consumers that the game will not be included with the subscription service this year, contrary to the releases of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and the upcoming Black Ops 7.
This marks the first time in two years that a new Call of Duty title will not debut on Game Pass. Microsoft had previously announced a change in strategy, stating that new Call of Duty games would no longer launch directly onto the service. While Microsoft did not offer a specific reason for this change, reports suggest it could be related to significant revenue losses, with Black Ops 6's inclusion on Game Pass reportedly costing Microsoft hundreds of millions of dollars.
New Call of Duty games are now expected to arrive on Game Pass during the holiday season following their initial release, meaning players eager to play Modern Warfare 4 via the subscription will likely face a year-long wait. The shift away from day-one Game Pass releases for new Call of Duty titles could be an effort to boost direct sales of the games.
Modern Warfare 4 is scheduled to launch on October 23 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Notably, the game will also be available on the Switch 2 at launch, a move that brings the Call of Duty franchise back to Nintendo platforms for the first time since 2013. Prior to its release, players can anticipate a multiplayer beta for Modern Warfare 4.