Summary
One of the most intriguing recently revealed details regardingCall of Duty: Black Ops 6is 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 howCall of Dutydistributes its annual releases on the Xbox platform.
Understandably, Xbox players are rejoicing at the news ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Game Pass availability, but this could easily lead to some negative factors impacting the game. While the benefits ofBlack Ops 6on Xbox Game Pass should not be overlooked, it runs a serious risk of burdeningCall of Dutywith even more microtransactions going forward to compensate for lost revenue, and this should be avoided at all costs.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 On Xbox Game Pass is a Double-Edged Sword
It now seems thatCall of Duty: Black Ops 6will 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. WhileCall of Duty’s previous ties to Sony saw things like earlier releases for the PlayStation platform, Xbox is already taking things a step further bymakingBlack Ops 6available from launch through Xbox Game Pass.
This will be the first time aCall of Dutytitle 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’sStarfieldfamously releasing through the subscription service as one of the earliest examples of this. WithMicrosoft’s record-breaking $68 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzardbeing finalized in 2023, the AAA stopping power of Game Pass is only set to grow withCall of Duty’s presence.
Of course, the news ofCall of Duty’s collaboration with Game Pass is made so impactful thanks to the sheer success of the FPS franchise, withCoD’s releases usually clearing tens of millions of copies sold yearly. Xbox has been one of the largest platforms forCall of Dutyfor quite some time, andBlack Ops 6is 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, andBlack Ops 6could suffer from extensive microtransactions in an attempt to achieve this.Call of Dutyis 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 Dutyeven recently split its battle pass system into several paid tiersand 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 ofBlack Ops 6away from its core multiplayer, with the supposed return totraditional round-based Zombies with mechanics like Gobblegumpotentially being marred by microtransactions. The partnership betweenCall of Dutyand 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 upcomingBlack Ops 6.
