Were you looking to buy Call of Duty Black Ops 3 on Xbox One? You need to read this.
You may already know this, but the game was pulled from preorder on Xbox One’s online store. The PSN and PC versions were completely unaffected by this. When a fan asked for explanation from Xbox Support, they replied that the content was pulled from preorder, but that it is still available for preorder physically via retailers.
Microsoft and Activision have separately confirmed that the game was pulled, but neither provided an explanation. Activision disavows any responsibility in doing this. Microsoft says that this was completely temporary, and they are working with Activision to return it.
It has also come to light that the deluxe edition of the game was pulled four days ago, and the standard edition six days ago. The game, and season pass, is no longer available via outlets such as Amazon or GAME UK. When asked, Amazon claims that the game has been pulled by the seller. At least, everyone who already preordered their copy on the platform should be fine.
While the two parties will not provide further explanation, it is public knowledge that Activision really signed a deal with Sony so that they would release DLC for Black Ops games on PlayStation 4 first. Prior to this, Activision signed a similar deal with Microsoft. EA, which makes Call of Duty competitor Battlefield, has an ongoing deal with Microsoft to release games and content in advance on Xbox first, including EA Access, but much more than that.
All signs point to a deal gone awry, but what do you make of this situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Call of Duty Black Ops 3 is still scheduled for release on November 6, 2015 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Windows.