Amid of swirl of rumours suggesting Microsoft was prepping more Call of Duty for an imminent Xbox Game Pass release, the company has confirmed last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will join on its subscription service this Wednesday, 24th July.
As per Microsoft’s announcement post, Game Pass subscribers will have access to all Modern Warfare 3 modes, meaning its single-player campaign, multiplayer, and its open-world Zombies experience.
Modern Warfare 3 is only the second Activision Blizzard title to hit Game Pass since Microsoft’s $69bn acquisition of the company last year, with Diablo 4 having launched for the subscription service back in March. It’s not the only announced Activision title for Game Pass, of course; this year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available to subscribers when it arrives on 24th October.
Or rather, it’ll be available to some Game Pass subscribers in October, given Microsoft’s recent overhaul of the service’s various tiers. As of 12th September, Game Pass’ lowest tier – now known as Xbox Game Pass Standard – will no longer provide access to first-party and other titles on launch day. That benefit will instead only be available to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.
Modern Warfare 3’s imminent Game Pass arrival is presumably timed to get as many new subscribers onboard ahead of September’s price hike in the hope they’ll stick around. Whether or not it’s all that much of an incentive remains to be seen though – Eurogamer’s Chris Tapsell didn’t think much of Modern Warfare 3 when it launch last year, calling it an “exercise in extracting value from its players rather than providing it” and “what happens when this industry is at its worst”, in his two star review.