Xbox CTO pledges streamlined game reviews after Modern Warfare 4 ships without a score

Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet pledged on October 28, 2026, to streamline the Xbox game review process after Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launched without a Metacritic score on Xbox Series X|S. The game released on October 23, 2026. The Xbox Series X|S edition has no official Metascore, with only two critic reviews, which is not enough to generate a Metascore. In contrast, the PlayStation 5 and PC editions carry scores, though sources disagree on the exact PlayStation 5 figure.

Beebom reports the PlayStation 5 score as 85 with 34 reviews, while the publisher’s October 26 post highlighted an 89, and GameRant and Yahoo Tech cite that post. Microsoft owns Activision and the Call of Duty franchise, making the missing Xbox score particularly notable.

The official Call of Duty Twitter account posted on October 26, 2026, highlighting Metacritic scores of 89 for PlayStation 5 and 86 for PC, but omitted Xbox, drawing fan criticism given the franchise is now first-party IP under Microsoft.

Metacritic lists Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 at 86 on PC based on 29 reviews, at 85 on PlayStation 5 with 34 reviews according to Beebom, and at 87 on Nintendo Switch 2 with 7 reviews. GameRant’s own Xbox Series X review, written by Dalton Cooper, gave the game a 10/10 and is one of only two official Xbox reviews counted on Metacritic. The outlet uses its own review to illustrate the sparse Xbox review count behind the missing Metascore.

The Xbox review process requires reviewers to find their Xbox Live Device ID, a hardware identifier, in system and developer settings and send it to a PR company, which then manually allow-lists the hardware. Yahoo Tech describes the ID as buried within developer and system settings before the publisher manually allow-lists the hardware. On PlayStation and Steam, reviewers can typically redeem a code and download the game or access a pre-release beta branch. Because the Xbox route is tedious and time-consuming, most reviewers wrote their Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 review after playing on PlayStation 5 or PC, leaving Xbox without enough reviews for a Metascore.

Beebom attributes the missing Xbox Metacritic score to reviewers selecting more convenient platforms over Xbox.

Windows Central, an Xbox-focused outlet, conducted its Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 review on PC because that was the platform offered at the official review event. Publishers tend to push PC and Steam codes ahead of other versions because beta branches simplify distribution, so even sites devoted to Xbox review on other platforms instead. Yahoo Tech notes that this convenience drives reviewer platform choice, and that Xbox outlets struggle with the review process. The outlet says an Xbox-focused site needed PC to meet its embargo.

The allow-listing problem has appeared in other recent releases. A reviewer covering The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered had to start on Steam and wait days for Xbox allow-listing before switching platforms. Downloadable content for Goat Simulator 3 hit the same issue. In contrast, Gears of War: E-Day had a healthier ratio of Xbox reviews because it was accessible through an insider build on the dashboard, yielding 87 Xbox reviews against 83 on PC.

Yahoo Tech presents this as an exception to the norm of skewed platform coverage.

When publishers do not distribute Xbox codes efficiently, fewer outlets review Xbox builds, leading to missing Xbox Metacritic scores and creating a perception that nobody is playing or caring about Xbox. Gamers looking for reviews may buy on the platform where more coverage exists. Microsoft owns Activision and the Call of Duty franchise, yet Modern Warfare 4 lacks enough Xbox critic reviews to generate a baseline score, which Yahoo Tech calls ironic given the platform holder’s own flagship blockbuster. The outlet frames this as a self-fulfilling prophecy that harms Xbox’s brand amid its hardware market share challenges.

Xbox already faces a challenge about hardware market share and media coverage, and Yahoo Tech argues that cumbersome pre-release access harms the brand. Until Xbox code redemption is as easy as PlayStation or Steam, Xbox-owned games will receive praise everywhere except on Xbox.

Scott Van Vliet stated on X on October 28, 2026, that reviewing a game on Xbox takes too many steps today. “Reviewing a game on XBOX takes too many steps today,” he wrote. He said press and creators should be able to redeem and play on Xbox, and that the first updates to the Xbox review system are coming soon. Beebom reports that Xbox will streamline its game review process in the coming months, a confirmation that followed player reports pointing out the missing Xbox rating.

The Xbox CTO’s statement came two days after the controversy began to brew, and he said the team is building toward simpler review access.

Review codes for Grand Theft Auto 6 have already gone out ahead of its November 18, 2026, embargo. GameRant frames the reception through OpenCritic, where Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 holds the highest Top Critic Average in franchise history at 86. For comparison, Black Ops 7 scored 65, Black Ops 6 scored 83, and the previous two Modern Warfare entries received 58 and 75, with Modern Warfare 3 earning the lower number. These historical scores provide context for the OpenCritic figure.

Beebom points to the GTA 6 review event as a moment when a faster Xbox review process would help journalists and content creators.