Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 sets new records for Game Pass subscriptions
Original news: The launch of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" shattered records for Xbox, becoming the franchise's most significant debut to date.
In Microsoft's first quarter 2025 earnings call, CEO Satya Nadella stated the game set new heights for both initial day players and Game Pass memberships.
It marks the initial Activision Blizzard game to debut simultaneously on Game Pass.
Sales for PlayStation and Steam saw a 60% boost compared to the previous year.
"This reflects our approach of allowing players to experience more games on their preferred devices," commented Nadella.
CFO Amy Hood highlighted that the presence of the game on Game Pass and the need for an online connection distinguished this release from earlier ones.
"For Game Pass users, the subscription profits are distributed over time," said Hood. "Given the online requirement, even standalone purchasers will see revenue spread over time."
Microsoft announced a robust Q1 performance, with a 61% yearly increase in Xbox earning and services income.
The company finalized its acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October 2023 after overcoming regulatory challenges in different regions.
As part of the agreement, Ubisoft secured the rights to stream Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard games for 15 years via the cloud.
Microsoft also signed agreements with Sony and Nintendo to retain Call of Duty on their consoles for a decade.
Experts estimated that Black Ops 6 could increase Game Pass users by 2.5 to 4 million. They also suggested that launching it on Game Pass might adversely affect its sales.
We examined Black Ops 6's potential impact on Game Pass subscriptions in the recent GamesIndustry.biz Microcast episode.
Update: According to The Washington Post, Activision reported that with Black Ops 6's release, the series has exceeded 500 million copies sold.
This achievement places it among the top-selling game franchises, alongside Tetris and Pokémon, but still behind Mario.