Newzoo data reveals why Microsoft removed Call of Duty from Game Pass day-one availability. Black Ops 6's inclusion in Game Pass drove a 71% jump in Xbox monthly active users but Xbox revenue remained flat-to-negative, indicating Game Pass was substituting for full-game purchases rather than driving new subscriptions. Black Ops 7 saw no repeat of the engagement boost, with Xbox MAU falling 52% from the BO6 peak. Overall Call of Duty revenue dropped sharply with BO7 coming in at less than a third of BO6 revenue, prompting Activision to abandon back-to-back annual releases. Microsoft responded by delaying Game Pass inclusion to roughly one year post-launch and cutting Game Pass pricing.
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