Will Call of Duty 2023 (Modern Warfare 3) come to Xbox Game Pass?

Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, previously stated that if the Microsoft-AVBK deal goes through, Call of Duty titles will make an appearance in the Xbox Game Pass. With Modern Warfare 3 just around the corner and Microsoft's recent win against the US FTC, gamers worldwide are speculating whether the next COD title will be a part of the large catalog of games the Xbox Game Pass offers.

Call of Duty has been at the center of a controversial deal between Microsoft and Activision. Since AVBK owns many popular IPs, including COD, key players in the industry, including Sony, are against this merger as they deem it anti-competitive.

This mostly relates to Call of Duty and has its stakeholders worried that it may possibly become exclusive to Microsoft's platforms.

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Possibilities of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 coming to Xbox Game Pass

Call of Duty will definitely make an appearance in the Xbox Game Pass after the deal between Microsoft and AVBK goes through. Although the recent win against the FTC is a step closer towards fruition, the legal battles for Microsoft are far from over. They are yet to get a green light from the UK's CMA, who has blocked the deal over concerns regarding cloud gaming.

According to the CMA, if the deal goes through, Microsoft would hold a dominant position in the cloud gaming market and may establish a monopoly. That said, Microsoft still has one major hurdle in its way. But, if the CMA approves the deal, COD will appear in the Game Pass.

However, the probability of upcoming Modern Warfare 3 appearing in the Game Pass is quite low. Phil Spencer, although mentioning that COD will come to Game Pass, stated that it wouldn't arrive for "a number of years."

This is because PlayStation has an ongoing contract with AVBK blocking its inclusion into the Game Pass. The contract expires in 2025.

So, even if UK CMA approves the deal, no Call of Duty games are coming to the Xbox Game Pass at least until 2025. This means the upcoming Modern Warfare 3 and the 2024 Black Ops title won't be a part of the Game Pass.

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This is all there is to know about the possibilities of Modern Warfare 3 coming to the Game Pass. It is worth noting that the merger must still get a green signal from UK's CMA for the acquisition to be complete. If they get approved, Microsoft is set to acquire Activision Blizzard King for a whopping $68.7 billion.

However, if the deal doesn't go through, Microsoft will have to pay $3 billion in break-up fees to AVBK.