On October 25, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 came out and had an amazing start with a record-breaking weekend.
Microsoft’s boss, Satya Nadella, shared during a meeting that the game’s launch day broke records for new Game Pass subscribers, although he didn’t give exact numbers. He
that sales on PlayStation and Steam jumped more than “60% year-over-year” compared to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III in 2023.
Modern Warfare III was the second best-selling game in the US in 2023, just behind Hogwarts Legacy. It’s exciting to think about how Black Ops 6 will compare, but it’s not a straightforward comparison since many folks play it on Game Pass without buying it. But hey, Call of Duty games are still flying off the shelves! As per The Washington Post, more than 500 million copies have been sold since 2003.
This number even beats the 430 million sales of GTA games. And with Grand Theft Auto 6 coming in 2025, those numbers might change a lot soon.
Everyone thought Black Ops 6 would do well before it even launched. The Black Ops name is super popular, and putting it on Game Pass was a big move that worked out well for Microsoft.
Fans sometimes wonder if putting big games on a subscription service is worth it.
Take-Two’s boss, Strauss Zelnick, thinks using subscription services for new games is not smart and calls it a “lost opportunity” for sales. His perspective is different because he runs a third-party company, so his ideas might not match Microsoft’s goals.
Michael Pachter from Wedbush told GI.biz that Black Ops 6 on Game Pass might mean up to six million fewer sales. He believes that a quarter of current subscribers might have bought the game anyway. But, he also thinks it could bring in about four million new subscribers to Game Pass.
Exciting times are ahead as Black Ops 6 adds the Nuketown multiplayer map on November 1. Season 1 kicks off on November 14, bringing a fresh Warzone map called Area 99.
For more details, you can check out GameSpot’s reviews of Black Ops 6’s campaign and multiplayer.
