Call Of Duty’s developers are apparently pleased about Microsoft’s price increase for Xbox Game Pass, ahead of the launch of Black Ops 7.
It’s been over a month since Microsoft announced a 50% price increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and it’s safe to say it hasn’t gone down well.
The announcement, which saw the highest tier of the subscription service go up to £22.99 per month, felt like a tipping point for many subscribers – as one of the best deals in gaming suddenly became a more questionable proposition.
While it was a bad day for the bank balance of players, an insider has claimed Call Of Duty developers are happy about the price hike, both in regards to the respective studio’s output and as individuals.
According to known Call Of Duty insider TheGhostOfHope, several Call Of Duty developers have told him the price increase is a ‘positive for the Call Of Duty studios’.
‘Financially, this will be a win for them as individuals because it will lead to more revenue, which means they are more in control of their future and what they can achieve,’ the insider wrote on X.
‘There is also a lot more financial upside with bonuses and such if they are successful now. The news of a price increase also means they need to rely on making games that sell more units to achieve these bonuses.’
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To clarify, TheGhostOfHope claimed Call Of Duty’s introduction to Xbox Game Pass, starting with last year’s Black Ops 6, was a ‘net negative’ for the developers ‘because it impacted their bonuses they’d receive any other year prior’. In other words, the developers are apparently now better incentivised to deliver their best.
‘The vibe in Activision with regards to Black Ops 7 is pretty positive at the moment,’ they added. ‘A few months ago, the executive team was not happy and now they are feeling better.’ Whether these vibes relate to the game’s quality, or Activision’s bank balance, is unclear.
While it’s unlikely Microsoft raised the prices of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to offer better financial incentives for Activision employees, it could have been one possible motive, along with the pressure to hit 30% profit targets.
Just like last year’s entry, Black Ops 7 will hit Xbox Game Pass day one when it launches on November 14, the same day as other platforms. Microsoft hoped Call Of Duty would lead to a surge in Xbox Game Pass users following the Activision Blizzard acquisition, but based on financial results from January, Black Ops 6 only led to a 2% boost in Game Pass subscriptions.
It remains to be seen if Black Ops 7 will only spark another minor increase, if any at all, but it has more competition this year from Battlefield 6 and extraction shooter Arc Raiders.
Black Ops 7 offers a co-op campaign set after the events of 2012’s Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2, along with the usual Zombies and multiplayer suite.
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