Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is finally here and in addition to the launch on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Battle.net, the game is also live on Xbox Game Pass. This is a monumental shift in how one of Activision’s biggest game franchises is made available to players. The announcement about the game coming to Xbox Game Pass was made earlier this year, but the reality of this distribution of the game is likely just now setting in for some.
Call of Duty is almost always the best-selling game of the year. If it isn’t number one, it’s typically in the top five. That won’t necessarily change with Black Ops 6, but the Game Pass availability will no doubt have some players choosing to play it for free as opposed to paying for it. The reason this is such a big deal is because it’s just never been done before.
It’s not the first Call of Duty to make its way to Game Pass. Warzone, Modern Warfare II, and Modern Warfare III were all dropped into the Game Pass library back in July. With Black Ops 6 though, it’s the first Call of Duty title to go live on the service on launch day. That’s the factor that makes this such a big deal. Day one availability on Microsoft’s gaming subscription service for one of the biggest franchises in gaming.
With Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 live on Xbox Game Pass, the game should see a surge of players
From Microsoft and Activision’s financial standpoints, it’ll be interesting to see whether or not the Game Pass availability is going to hurt the bottom line.
From a player standpoint, this is perhaps the best thing to happen to Call of Duty in a while. It means the game will now be available to more players than ever. There will be some overlap of players who would buy the game and play it regardless of whether or not it was on Microsoft’s subscription service. However, there are also some players who would certainly avoid the game if it meant having to pay for it.
Now, those players will be able to give the game a shot and see if they like it. This should translate to the number of players in Black Ops 6 growing beyond what we saw in past Call of Duty games. However, that also depends on how fun the game is over an extended period of time. The first few weeks and likely the first season will probably maintain a large number of players either way.
The game is new and people will still be having that honeymoon stage with it. As time goes on, some players will undoubtedly drop off. Either out of boredom or because of other more important commitments. But it seems highly likely that because the game can be played for free via Xbox Game Pass, more people will jump in to check things out than with Modern Warfare III, simply because of the fact that it’s rolled into a service that many people subscribe to.
You don’t need Game Pass Ultimate
While I personally think this is still the best value, you don’t need to have the Ultimate membership to play Black Ops 6. It’s available via PC Game Pass as well, which is less expensive. You can also play it for free on the Xbox Series X|S consoles if you have the Ultimate plan. You cannot, however, access the game for free if you have the Core or Standard plans on console. At least, not right away.
Microsoft doesn’t confirm when or if Black Ops 6 will eventually be accessible via those two plans, but it is possible that it will land on them eventually. Players should also not forget that if they bought the game on Steam or Battle.net, or play via PC Game Pass, it can be streamed through GeForce NOW.
