This also shows how GamePass is not Netflix. Netflix can keep its old movies and TV shows indefinitely. You can't keep a game on a service forever without maintenance, especially a multiplayer one. If MS moves more fully to PC it will have to update the games to work with new versions of Windows. It has to fix security issues on older games. You can't just throw it on there and put out a press release talking about how many games are on your service.
I buy into the idea that the Activision purchase got the eye of Sauron turned on them, and now they are having to pay into the larger organization in a way they never have before...and it's gutting their studio business.
That said - Phil and Friends were definitely at the table when the decision to buy Activision was made. It's not like this was hoisted upon them without their consent. They are now seeing the consequences of their actions.
This is some shoddy reporting, all older cod games on pc are affected by the RCE, whether you play them on steam or not; WWII was last patched in 2020 and didn't fix anything.