Call of Duty : Black Ops 6 Will Be on Game Pass at Launch, Microsoft Confirms

Call of Duty : Back Ops 6, the next installment in Activision’s popular first-person shooter series, will be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch, Microsoft confirmed Tuesday. All Game Pass subscribers can play the game from day one. The confirmation comes just days after reports that parent company Xbox is planning to add the next Call of Duty game to its gaming subscription service.

Microsoft has relied on Xbox Game Pass and will include all first-person titles in the service at launch. However, this strategy made selling Xbox exclusive games expensive. Adding Call of Duty, one of the best-selling game series in the world, to Game Pass could increase subscribers but also have a direct impact on revenue. Game Pass will allow subscribers on Xbox consoles, PCs, and other supported devices to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at launch at no additional cost.

In January, Microsoft released Game Pass subscriber numbers for the first time in more than two years, confirming that the service had 34 million subscribers. That’s a 36 percent increase compared to numbers reported more than two years ago, but the gaming subscription service has struggled to attract new paying members recently. Gaming industry analyst Matt Piscatella claimed earlier this month that spending on non-mobile gaming subscription services had stagnated. “March 2024 non-mobile video game subscription spending increased just 1% from April 2023 numbers,” he said in an X post at the time.

Earlier this month, Microsoft shuttered several game studios under its umbrella, including Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin, as the company shifts its focus to prioritized games. While Redfall initially received negative reviews and fell short of Microsoft’s expectations, Hi-Fi Rush was, in the company’s own words, “a successful performer across all key metrics and expectations.” However, the majority of player numbers for the rhythm-based action-adventure title were believed to come from Game Pass rather than direct sales. Therefore, releasing Call of Duty, a blockbuster money-making franchise for the masses, on Game Pass could be Microsoft’s biggest bet on the subscription service.

Activision, which was acquired by Microsoft last year, confirmed last week that Black Ops 6 will be its next Call of Duty title. The publisher plans to fully reveal the game during a live presentation immediately following the Xbox Game Show on June 9th. Activision hasn’t revealed much about the game so far, releasing several live-action teasers and trailers after confirming the game. Microsoft says it will reveal details about Black Ops 6 during a live presentation where players can get “their first in-depth look at gameplay in this dark new chapter in the Black Ops series.”