Microsoft may be rethinking one of its biggest Game Pass selling points. According to Windows Central's Jez Corden, Xbox is actively considering pulling Call of Duty from its Day One Game Pass offering, a move that would mark a significant shift in how the company positions its subscription service.
The problem with putting Call of Duty in Game Pass
Corden laid out the tension clearly in a recent video. Call of Duty is simply too large a franchise to sit comfortably inside a flat-rate subscription without creating financial friction on both sides. "Game Pass has disrupted Call of Duty's business model in a pretty negative way," he said, explaining that a franchise of that scale absorbs a disproportionate share of the subscription pool's revenue, leaving less money available month-over-month for acquiring new content.
The reverse problem is just as real. Subscribers who would have paid full price for Call of Duty no longer need to, which cuts directly into the franchise's standalone sales revenue. As Corden put it, "the idea that you don't have to buy Call of Duty and get it for cheaper also hurts Call of Duty in reverse."
Here's the thing: this isn't just a theoretical squeeze. Corden specifically pointed to Call of Duty's declining performance as a contributing factor to Microsoft raising Game Pass prices, noting that "revenue was down because Call of Duty revenue was down, and Call of Duty is not exclusive."
This report is based on Jez Corden's claims from his own video content. Microsoft has not made any official statement confirming or denying that Call of Duty's Day One Game Pass access is under review.
What a removal would actually signal
Corden stopped short of calling this a done deal, but he was direct about what it would mean if it happens. "If they take Call of Duty out of Game Pass this year, which is a possibility from what I've heard, I think it'll kind of reveal some of the cracks in the strategy."
That framing matters. Microsoft's pitch for the Activision Blizzard acquisition leaned heavily on Call of Duty coming to Game Pass as a subscriber benefit. Pulling it back, even partially, would raise questions about the long-term viability of putting mega-franchises inside an all-you-can-play subscription at launch.
Corden also floated a possible middle ground: new Game Pass tiers where big live-service titles like Call of Duty sit in a higher-priced "super tier," with the base subscription dropping to a cheaper price point for most other games. That structure would let Microsoft keep the franchise technically available on Game Pass while recovering more revenue per subscriber who actually wants it.
Context: Black Ops 7 and a franchise under pressure
The timing of this report isn't random. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has had a rough cycle. Despite being the best-selling game last month, it's done so against a backdrop of mixed reception from players and critics, and reports of fewer active players than in previous years. Microsoft has also confirmed that the franchise will no longer receive back-to-back Black Ops or Modern Warfare releases after Black Ops 7 underperformed expectations.
A franchise that generates less revenue than projected, distributed through a subscription that may be cannibalizing its own sales, creates exactly the kind of strategic headache that leads to the conversations Corden is describing.
What most players miss is that this isn't purely about Call of Duty. If Microsoft restructures how its biggest titles land on Game Pass, every major first-party franchise could eventually be subject to the same calculus. The Call of Duty situation is just the most visible pressure point right now. Make sure to check out our gaming news to stay across how these platform shifts affect the games you actually play.
