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Will Call of Duty be Xbox Exclusive? What’s the best Call of Duty?

Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game franchise published by Activision.

Microsoft to buy embattled ‘Call of Duty’ publisher Activision for $68 billion

Microsoft is buying the “Call of Duty” publisher Activision.

The tech giant is paying $68.7 billion in cash for the game company.
Activision owns Blizzard and King, and Microsoft is set to acquire those companies in the deal.

Starting out in 2003, it first focused on games set in World War II. Over time, the series has seen games set in the midst of the Cold War, futuristic worlds, and outer space.

The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then also by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Several spin-off and handheld games were made by other developers. The most recent title, Call of Duty: Vanguard, was released on November 5, 2021.

 

Will Call of Duty and Blizzard games be Xbox exclusive?

Microsoft says it will bring Activision Blizzard’s games to Game Pass, but is unclear about console exclusives

Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard brings major game franchises like Call of Duty, Diablo, Overwatch, StarCraft, and Warcraft to the house of Xbox.

Will Activision Blizzard Games be Xbox Exclusive?

It’s a coup for Microsoft, which not only grows its number of internal game development studios to 30, but also a major boon for Game Pass, the company’s subscription service that brings subscribers a monthly menu of games for Xbox consoles, mobile devices, and PC.

The Game Pass library will eventually include Activision Blizzard’s games, Microsoft confirmed, but likely not until 2023, when the deal is expected to be complete.

But what does Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard mean for players on other platforms?

Will games like Call of Duty and Overwatch become Xbox console exclusives?

Microsoft isn’t saying, for now. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, recently promoted from head of Xbox, said in a prepared statement that when his company’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard closes “we will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Game Pass, both new titles and games from Activision Blizzard’s incredible catalogue.”

It’s unclear what could limit Microsoft from offering all of Activision Blizzard games through Game Pass, but World of Warcraft, which has its own subscription-based model, could be excluded from Microsoft’s plans.

According to a report from Bloomberg, citing sources, Microsoft plans to continue making “some of Activision’s games” for PlayStation consoles, but will make “some content” exclusive to Xbox. Addressing players of Activision Blizzard games on PlayStation platforms, Spencer said in an interview with Bloomberg, “It’s not our intent to pull communities away from that platform and we remained committed to that.” That report didn’t mention Nintendo’s Switch platform, where Blizzard games like Overwatch and Diablo 3 have been released in recent years.

 

What’s the best Call of Duty?

Few video game franchises are as influential and successful as Call of Duty.

What began as a polished World War II shooter has morphed into something else entirely over the last 15-plus years, with games going everywhere from the Vietnam War to the far reaches of space.

No matter the location or story, Call of Duty games usually deliver heart-pounding single-player campaigns and an intense competitive multiplayer mode. Even when 2018’s entry, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, switched it up and ditched the campaign, it brought another thrilling experience into the fold with its new battle royale mode, called Blackout. But not all Call of Duty games are created equal.

 

 

The Best ‘Call of Duty’ Games, Ranked

Some were simply better than others, and with that in mind, we’ve ranked them from the worst to the best.

Call of Duty 3

The Xbox 360 saw exponential growth in sales during 2005 thanks to the Call of Duty 2, which remains popular to this day. Unfortunately, Call of Duty 3 did not fare as well as its predecessor.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

It pains us to put Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare so low on our list because Infinity Ward had huge ambitions for its release (and so did we). The game’s campaign ditched the linear, mission-to-mission approach and instead let players pick and choose side objectives to complete.

Call of Duty: Ghosts

The first Call of Duty game released on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts had very little to differentiate itself from the series’s past games.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

Treyarch decided to double down on the futuristic elements of the Black Ops games with Call of Duty: Black Ops III, and it was the first time it failed to excite.

Call of Duty

The original Call of Duty was something we don’t associate with the series today: An underdog. Developer Infinity Ward had been formed from former Medal of Honor developers, with Electronic Arts’ series still the king of war-themed shooters.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

After assisting with the development of Modern Warfare 3, Sledgehammer Games was given the chance to lead its own project for 2014’s Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 could have been the game to kill the franchise. For the first time in the main series, Black Ops 4 opted to leave the campaign mode out completely, offering competitive multiplayer, Zombies, and the battle royale mode Blackout instead.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

The reason Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a noteworthy entry is because it’s the first game in the series available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It ended up having plenty of content across Multiplayer and Zombies, with lots of callbacks to the original Black Ops games.

Call of Duty: Vanguard

Call of Duty: Vanguard is an interesting entry in the series because it has a lot of memorable features, especially for Multiplayer mode. It sends players back to World War II, which is a downside since Call of Duty has taken place during that era far too often.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

By 2011, Call of Duty had already cemented its legacy with several stellar first-person shooters, but franchise fatigue had also begun.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

The follow-up to the excellent Black Ops had expectations soaring, possibly out of any developer’s reach. Call of Duty: Black Ops II felt like a game that had been designed by two entirely different studios.

Call of Duty: WWII

After nearly a decade in modern warfare and the future, Call of Duty returned to where it began in 2017 with Call of Duty: WWII. Set in the European theater and featuring the famous Normandy invasion, it felt like Call of Duty 2 has been remade for the next generation of players.

Call of Duty: World at War

Call of Duty: World at War was Treyarch’s first game in the series since the underwhelming Call of Duty 3, and it managed to deliver the grimmest and goriest game the series had ever — or has ever — seen.

Call of Duty

The first Call of Duty game for many current fans — and a launch title for the Xbox 360 — Call of Duty 2 was the ultimate World War II shooter for those interested in the fall of Nazi Germany.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Confused by a game called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare appearing on our list alongside Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare? It gets even more confusing when you discover that the games share characters but are not narratively connected aside from the mention of a few events. Regardless of the naming conventions, the rebooted 2019 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare nails the atmosphere and tense first-person action of the older games’ campaigns, complete with several set-piece moments and a generous sprinkling of stealth.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Treyarch was finally able to get out of Infinity Ward’s shadow and establish itself as a premier Call of Duty studio with 2010’s Black Ops. A thrilling mystery set during the Cold War and partially taking place in Vietnam, its ambitious story dealt with conspiracy theories and the role the United States could have played in the JFK assassination, along with the failed Bay of Pigs operation.

Call of Duty: Warzone

One of the world’s biggest video game series has become a free-to-play game, just months after releasing one of its strongest and more generous titles yet. Call of Duty: Warzone is, by and large, an extension of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare that uses its assets to build the sprawling Verdansk map. Capable of holding 150 players at a time, it’s the home of Call of Duty‘s second attempt to capture the hearts of the Battle Royale crowd.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare almost single-handedly redefined the modern first-person shooter with its thrilling campaign and endlessly customizable multiplayer component, so the bar was sky-high for Modern Warfare 2 when it was released two years later. Somehow, Infinity Ward managed to outdo itself, delivering another campaign filled with twists, betrayals, and action-packed set pieces while also building on what made the first game’s multiplayer so successful.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Where were you when you first played Crew Expendable in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare? In just minutes, Infinity Ward proved to players that the move from World War II to a contemporary conflict was worthwhile, as Capt. Price and Soap MacTavish make their way through a hostile ship and eliminate targets with pinpoint precision. Not a second of time was wasted, and over the course of the legendary Call of Duty 4 campaign, that would still be true. All Ghillied Up is arguably the best mission in any first-person shooter, and it looks even better in the remastered version for modern consoles.

 

What is the most loved Call of Duty?

The most successful game in the franchise is Call of Duty: Black Ops, which has sold over 30 million units worldwide since it was first released in 2010. The game was released at the height of the franchise’s popularity and featured the hugely successful multiplayer and zombies game modes.

Is Black Ops 1 or 2 better?

Black Ops 1 and black ops 2 are both amazing, but I give the slight advantage to bo1 for the setting. Although I feel as though bo2 is more polished. Blops 1: campaign, multiplayer, and zombies were the best.

Is cod free on PC?

Free To Play For Everyone. Experience classic Call of Duty® first-person combat in an all-new, massive arena for 150 players. Drop in, armor up, loot for rewards, and battle your way to the top. Welcome to Warzone™.

Is Call of Duty dying?

Is Call of Duty dying? Yes, there is obviously somewhat of a revival with Call of Duty Mobile and Call of Duty Warzone. However, the games themselves have not been making for good Call of Duty’s. This is due to the lack of attention the games have been getting.

Is there a free Call of Duty?

Welcome to the Warzone, the new massive combat arena within Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, free for everyone. Drop in, armor up, loot for rewards, and battle your way to the top.

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