Activision has brought Call of Duty: World War II back to the Microsoft Store and Xbox PC App after it was removed more than a month ago, though the company has still not said a word about what happened.
A statement released on August 27 confirmed that the 2017 game has returned, and is once again available for PC Game Pass players. However, there was no explanation as to anything else related to the game’s removal on July 4. At the time, Activision said it pulled the game to investigate “an issue.”
While Activision never confirmed what happened, fans believe they worked it out. Call of Duty: WWII was reportedly overrun with Remote Code Execution attacks that had players losing control of their PCs via a security exploit. A similar attack happened to Dark Souls 3 back in 2022, which led to the entire trilogy being taken offline while the security issue was addressed.
Activision makes a point to not discuss Call of Duty security issues, saying that disclosing information about its security protocols would only help bad actors get a leg up to create new workarounds and exploits. The fight against cheaters and hackers is never-ending, Activision has said.
The issue with Call of Duty: WWII was specific to the PC edition; the Xbox version on Game Pass was never removed after it launched into Game Pass at the end of June.
Call of Duty: WWII was developed by Sledgehammer Games and was notable at the time in part for being the first fully WWII-set Call of Duty game since 2008’s Call of Duty: World at War. Some of its most memorable missions including the Saving Private Ryan-like D-Day opening sequence and a mission where you go undercover in a German building in Paris featuring some tense moments.
You play as Ronald “Red” Daniels, with supporting squadmates including soldiers voiced by people like Josh Duhamel, Jeffrey Pierce, Jonathan Tucker, and Brett Zimmerman. The campaign’s intensity is ramped up by the fact that there is no automatic health regeneration.
The next Call of Duty game, meanwhile, is Black Ops 7. Activision recently canceled the game’s Carry Forward program, meaning operators and skins from Black Ops 6 will not be available in Black Ops 7. Activision also acknowledged the fan feedback that Call of Duty has strayed from its identity as a military shooter. Many took this to be a reference to the franchise’s wacky skins, but the company did not mention this outright.
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