I know we’re all thinking about GTA 6 right now, but chances are Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 – releasing on 23rd October – will be massive, too. Regardless, Xbox and Activision are planning ahead in an attempt to avoid Black Ops 7’s stumbles, and it seems the publisher and platform holder are putting effort into telling the casual crowd this year’s CoD release won’t be on Game Pass.

At least that’s the idea we’re getting from a targeted ad spotted by a ResetEra user who claimed to come across it while browsing Facebook. It comes from Call of Duty’s official account, so this isn’t the usual leak or post-breaking containment ahead of time.

It’s worth noting, in case you’re out of the loop, that we’ve known for a while Modern Warfare 4 isn’t coming to Xbox (or PC) Game Pass, at least not at launch. It’s one of Xbox’s many seismic shifts since CEO Asha Sharma took over earlier this year. Though the math apparently worked out when Black Ops 6 – the first CoD released under the Xbox umbrella – launched in 2024 and dominated both the subscription service and premium sales, that’s ending now as Xbox seeks to make more money the old-fashioned way.

But of course, a large chunk of Modern Warfare 4’s potential buyers aren’t as chronically online and informed as us, so the appearance of such ads on Facebook and other social platforms is a logical move. Still, it’s shocking to see Xbox officially embrace a “not on Game Pass” messaging after years of pushing exactly the opposite. It’s yet another sign things are radically changing at the heart of Microsoft’s gaming efforts.

Though Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s core multiplayer experience has yet to be fully unveiled, we know an expanded and more immersive DMZ extraction mode has a large presence. Campaign early access is also returning for those who pre-order digital copies on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2.