Summary

  • Black Ops 6 marks a new era for Call of Duty with a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass, a first for the franchise.
  • Xbox players rejoice, but the Game Pass availability could lead to more microtransactions in the future to compensate for lost revenue.
  • Microsoft is leveraging Game Pass to maximize its high-profile studio acquisitions, with Call of Duty's presence set to grow.

One of the most intriguing recently revealed details regarding Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the confirmation that the title will be coming as a day-one release on the Xbox Game Pass service. Fans have been wondering for some time how Xbox might benefit from Microsoft's recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and it seems that the upcoming title is going to be the start of a new era for how Call of Duty distributes its annual releases on the Xbox platform.

Understandably, Xbox players are rejoicing at the news of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Game Pass availability, but this could easily lead to some negative factors impacting the game. While the benefits of Black Ops 6 on Xbox Game Pass should not be overlooked, it runs a serious risk of burdening Call of Duty with even more microtransactions going forward to compensate for lost revenue, and this should be avoided at all costs.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 New Trailer Confirms Saddam Hussein

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 will feature Iraqi Gulf War Leader Saddam Hussein as a prominent figure in the game as shown in the "The Truth Lies" trailer.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 On Xbox Game Pass is a Double-Edged Sword

It now seems that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will mark a new beginning for the longstanding FPS giant, with the franchise's more recent partnership with Sony and PlayStation being turned back towards Xbox and Microsoft. While Call of Duty's previous ties to Sony saw things like earlier releases for the PlayStation platform, Xbox is already taking things a step further by making Black Ops 6 available from launch through Xbox Game Pass.

This will be the first time a Call of Duty title has ever been made available through Game Pass, and is likely an indication of consistent Game Pass appearances for the franchise in the future. Microsoft is clearly utilizing Game Pass to make the most of its high-profile studio acquisitions, with Bethesda's Starfield famously releasing through the subscription service as one of the earliest examples of this. With Microsoft's record-breaking $68 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard being finalized in 2023, the AAA stopping power of Game Pass is only set to grow with Call of Duty's presence.

Of course, the news of Call of Duty's collaboration with Game Pass is made so impactful thanks to the sheer success of the FPS franchise, with CoD's releases usually clearing tens of millions of copies sold yearly. Xbox has been one of the largest platforms for Call of Duty for quite some time, and Black Ops 6 is now sure to miss out on sales thanks to players simply accessing the title through Game Pass instead.

More Microtransactions Will Ruin Black Ops 6's Game Pass Presence

Activision will want to make up for this lost revenue despite its new ties to Microsoft, and Black Ops 6 could suffer from extensive microtransactions in an attempt to achieve this. Call of Duty is already developing a reputation for rampant microtransaction opportunities, especially within its core multiplayer, with constant bundles and battle passes being released and accessed through in-game purchases.

Call of Duty even recently split its battle pass system into several paid tiers and this kind of aggressive microtransaction approach has the potential to increase with the lost revenue from Xbox players.

This could also spread to other aspects of Black Ops 6 away from its core multiplayer, with the supposed return to traditional round-based Zombies with mechanics like Gobblegum potentially being marred by microtransactions. The partnership between Call of Duty and Xbox Game Pass may just be a show of good faith between Activision and Microsoft, and while it is currently good news for Xbox fans, Activision should ensure that these benefits are not tainted by more invasive in-game purchases in the upcoming Black Ops 6.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Tag Page Cover Art
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
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9 /10
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Released
October 25, 2024
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Developer(s)
Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher(s)
Activision
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
Franchise
Call of Duty
Genre(s)
FPS