Call of Duty and whether or not it will join the Game Pass lineup has been a question for a while. Once an assumed ‘of course’ it will happen, the discussion devolved into whether or not many believed Xbox leadership. With recent decisions their Bethesda division has made, that made believing them harder.
However, Xbox officially revealed ahead of the Xbox Games Showcase that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be launching day one into Game Pass.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Launching Into Game Pass
Xbox Wire said the following regarding the announcement;
We’re excited to confirm that Game Pass members will be able to jump into Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 on day one with Game Pass.
As revealed last week, we will have a special Xbox Games Showcase followed by Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 Direct on June 9, 2024, at 10am PT, where we’ll share even more details on what’s coming in this all-new Call of Duty®. Get eyes on the first in-depth look at gameplay in this dark new chapter of the Black Ops series.
No Strings Attached?
Interestingly, this announcement was not paired with a price-hike to the Game Pass service, nor was it given any additional news. Just the simple fact that 2024’s major Call of Duty will be a day-one Game Pass release.
Promise Kept
When the Xbox Business Update happened in January 2024, Xbox leadership gave the following statement as a core pillar of Xbox going forward;
Our games will come to Game Pass day one.
With not only Diablo IV coming to the service earlier this year and rumblings that legacy content will join the service soon, but this year’s Call of Duty joining the service? Xbox leadership kept their promise to their fans, the gaming industry, and the greater gaming community.
Closing Thoughts
As a casual Call of Duty fan, I am not all that excited about this latest title. But I would be lying that being part of a service I am part of gives me no excuse not to try it.
This is a huge franchise and removing that $70 paywall for one sector of the gaming community is going to have an impact. Xbox players will be able to engage with the game having more money in their pockets, while Microsoft could get major profits from PlayStation and PC gamers.
In addition, being a live service game encourages spending of MTX and Battle Passes. Not having the $70 entrance fee will encourage that side of the profit to get a major boon on Xbox platforms.
But will this be the thing to boost Game Pass numbers? That is the question everyone is asking and we shall get our answer in Fall 2024.
