UPDATE: Xbox has sent out a pre-mature push notification via the Xbox Game Pass app that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will indeed be coming to Xbox Game Pass day one. This is apparently going to be officially confirmed on the Xbox Wire later tonight.
Breaking: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be on Xbox Game Pass on Day One
Xbox app has sent a notification earlier than expected this morning to some users. Official announcement expected in a few hours pic.twitter.com/6q5nDGv0JN
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) May 28, 2024
ORIGINAL STORY: One of the biggest questions surrounding Microsoft’s embattled $69 billion USD takeover of Activision Blizzard has been the fate of the Call of Duty franchise, and specifically whether the company would make the bold move to include the games in its Game Pass subscription as they launched.
That question, if a recent report from The Verge is to be believed, had still been a big one within Microsoft until quite recently, with the outlet claiming that it was still being decided as to how it might safely integrate Call of Duty – a series that typically sells millions upon millions of copies at full whack – into something like Game Pass. One idea was supposedly to raise the price of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier again, and include it there.
Outside of what The Verge has said though, a new report from The Wall Street Journal says (according to sources familiar with the matter) that Microsoft has indeed made a call, and will be announcing during its upcoming Xbox and Call of Duty Redacted Showcase that the next major title in the series, believed to be a new Black Ops game, will most certainly be included in at least one Xbox Game Pass tier.
Microsoft plans a major shakeup of its videogame sales strategy by releasing the coming installment of Call of Duty to its subscription service instead of the longtime, lucrative approach of only selling it a la carte https://t.co/TkrlhvY0z5 https://t.co/TkrlhvY0z5
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) May 17, 2024
If true, it’ll certainly be a big deal for both Xbox and Call of Duty, and after last year’s rather disastrous Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III it might actually be just the ticket to get fans back on board without committing to a full purchase. Though Microsoft has naturally not commented on anything and likely won’t until next month’s event, you can read WSJ’s report (behind a paywall) here.
If you’re keen to find out one way or the other as soon as it’s announced, you can find all of the details and local times to watch the Xbox Games Showcase 2024 in our guide to all of June’s big gaming showcases right here.
