Call of Duty on Game Pass: Over $300 Million Lost in a Year

Microsoft invested a record sum for the acquisition of Activision/Blizzard, a move that guaranteed it access to a formidable catalog of titles, starting with the Call of Duty franchise. Activision and Blizzard's vast gaming offering ended up entirely on Game Pass, making the subscription service even more appealing, a decision that, however, may have had very serious consequences.

Call of Duty's Lost Sales

According to a report by Bloomberg, a well-informed source (who for obvious reasons remains anonymous) claims that the Call of Duty franchise lost more than $300 million in just one year, due to missed sales on console and PC, caused by its arrival on Game Pass. Bloomberg also quotes Joost Van Dreunen, a market analyst at Aldora, who states that the subscription service did not experience the "explosive growth" that Microsoft expected after the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

According to Van Dreunen, Microsoft realized that the costs incurred within the subscription service's infrastructure do not align with the adopted pricing model. It is therefore not surprising that Game Pass has just undergone substantial price increases, although fortunately there are still ways to save money.