Updated

Ahead of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's October 23 release, Activision confirmed the game will not launch on Xbox Game Pass, reiterating warnings it has given for months; the only way to get it at launch will be direct purchase. Separately, Activision's chief marketing officer Tyler Bahl confirmed a new Call of Duty sub-series is coming after five consecutive years of Black Ops or Modern Warfare entries, and argued that GTA 6's November release will actually help rather than hurt MW4 by driving overall interest in gaming. The cluster of statements reflects Activision's effort to manage expectations and narrative control around MW4's release amid a packed holiday launch window dominated by Rockstar's GTA 6.