After two consecutive years of new Call of Duty games launching directly on Xbox Game Pass, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 breaks this tradition.
Strategy change
The new camapign promotes a pre-purchase to get access to the campaign ahead of time and makes it clear that the game will not be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch.
Why the change?
Although the first-party game titles have performed well for the company, the revenue generated from these titles may not be enough to offset the costs. Microsoft has not officially explained the reasons behind the decision, but financial considerations are believed to be the primary factor.