Xbox president may have confirmed the next Call of Duty will launch on Game Pass

Games from 'across the whole slate' to release on Game Pass this year

This year's Call of Duty is rumored to be a Black Ops installment / Activision

Xbox president Sarah Bond has said that games 'across the whole slate' will launch on Game Pass later this year. Many have taken the quote to conclude that Activision's next Call of Duty game is also included in that lineup.

The question of bringing Call of Duty's future releases to Xbox Game Pass on release has been one Microsoft has dodged a lot. As per a report from The Verge, Microsoft executives are still considering whether bringing future releases of the franchise to Game Pass would cannibalize sales on the platform.

In an interview with Bloomberg, the same where Sarah Bond confirmed the Xbox mobile store's release, the topic of Game Pass' future was brought up.

"We know our core users love Game Pass. Game Pass is a gaming subscription," said Bond. "You get a whole portfolio of games, but importantly, you get every single one of our games that we build day one in Game Pass, and the quality and the breadth of those games has only been going up over time and you’re going to see some more really big games going into Game Pass later this year…”

When asked whether those big games include ones from Activision, Bond responded with an answer that could live in the realm of plausible deniability. “Across the whole slate, across the whole slate. You’re going to see some really amazing things and keeping that is something that is really special for Xbox players is central for us."

Of course, that's not really a direct confirmation that CoD is coming to Game Pass on day one. Bond could be referring to other titles from Activision, which could include new releases in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater or Crash Bandicoot franchises. The obvious answer, and the most likely one, would be a Call of Duty title.

Xbox will announce new games and updates to existing titles from its Xbox Games Showcase in June, followed by a direct showcase for an unannounced game. Fans have already figured out that it might be the reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 5, which is rumored to be set during the Gulf War.