As for the COD debate, I think whoever argues against it being in Game Pass at Microsoft is being a little short-sighted or perhaps does not know much about the gaming industry, they're thinking about it in too simple terms of just "lost sales" when that doesn't paint the full picture.
Firstly, most of CODs sales will be on PlayStation, where Game Pass doesn't exist, it'll also expand to Switch, it'll also be on PC where they avoid Game Pass in favour of Steam. So the only consumer base you're hurting is the Xbox one but if people come over to Xbox to get COD in Game Pass instead that should be a good thing, more people in your ecosystem means more spending in your ecosystem.
Secondly, what are some of the biggest money makers in the industry right now and what do a lot of them have in common? Counter-Strike (F2P), Valorant (F2P), Apex Legends (F2P), League of Legends (F2P), Dota 2 (F2P), Genshin Impact (F2P), Overwatch (F2P), Fortnite (F2P), Destiny 2 (F2P), Warzone (F2P), Roblox (F2P).
Notice the trend? The vast majority are F2P. Could these games have been paid instead and sold millions on launch? Absolutely, but the publishers have said F2P is better financially for them, why? Cause these games are littered with MTXs, Lol. If a game is F2P it makes it easier to access for millions more gamers but also makes them more inclined to spend in the stores precisely because they got the game for free.
Call of Duty nowadays has like fucking $30 skins and people still buy that shit.
I do not believe that including COD into Game Pass would hurt its financials enough to care, any damage will probably be off-set by the increase in Game Pass subs and/or in-store spending. Especially when we're basically talking about an Xbox userbase only, barely anyone uses GP PC and thus all you're really doing here is ensuring people stay locked into an Xbox ecosystem which also makes them spend more in the Xbox ecosystem outside of COD.
And if they're really that concerned about it then just do that Goddamn early access shit, over a million people bought Forza Horizon's early access before its launch into Game Pass, you know what will happen if you offer a similar early access offer to COD gamers? They'll eat that shit up and millions will buy its early access upgrade for an increased price!
Last edited by Ryuu96 - on 11 May 2024
