• [Dailystar Icon]
• Tech
• Gaming
• XBox

Xbox Game Pass subscriptions grow as expert weighs in on Call of Duty results

Call of Duty may not have set the world alight with its day one Xbox Game Pass debut, but one expert has suggested the subscription service is growing in stature

[Xbox Game Pass logo]

Could Game Pass become even more important?(Image: Microsoft)

Microsoft has shifted to a multiplatform strategy and is reportedly been working on an Xbox handheld, but a key part of its messaging has been the benefits of Xbox Game Pass.

The service, which offers a variety of games available each month and also includes first-party titles on day one in certain tiers, has seen a number of high-profile releases in recent months.

April saw the arrival of the long-awaited Elder Scrolls Oblivion remaster, for example, while DOOM: The Dark Ages arrives in May. That accelerated release cadence has seemingly brought some reward for Microsoft, but its Call of Duty gamble may not have paid off, one expert has suggested.

Xbox Game Pass is growing

[Call of Duty Black Ops 6]

We still maintain that Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is the best CoD in years(Image: Activision)

While there had been concerns that subscriber growth for Xbox Game Pass had stagnated, Christopher Dring's The Game Business Newsletter has highlighted that while spending is lower according to Circana data than Q4, the service is seeing growth year-on-year.

Given in just the last few months, we've seen everything from the aforementioned Oblivion remaster to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Avowed, South of Midnight and third-party Game of the Year contender Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 debut on Game Pass, it seems Microsoft may have finally found a rhythm.

So what about Call of Duty Black Ops 6? Expected to set Game Pass memberships skyrocketing on console and PC, Dring says results are "mixed".

[Indiana Jones and the Great Circle key art]

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was the best Xbox game of 2024(Image: Machine Games/Bethesda Softworks)

While the move increased Xbox's market share on Call of Duty and boosted the game's players at launch, they dropped off "more sharply than in recent years", Dring says.

"Some of that may have been caused by Game Pass, as subscribers are more likely to try something and then put it down if its not for them. But the reality is that despite a strong start, Call of Duty has struggled to engage players to the degree it has in the past."

As Dring says, "To go from an all-time high to trending below previous years in terms of monthly players will be disappointing to the Activision team."

For more on Xbox Game Pass, check out rumours of more Call of Duty classics coming to the service.

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

[Dailystar Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Star as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.