The creative director of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 shared some thoughts about how Game Pass made the game’s launch better by boosting player numbers.
In a chat with the BBC, Miles Leslie explained that Game Pass helped those who were unsure or hesitant to dive into the game. He mentioned it even brought back some players who hadn’t played in a while.
Leslie, who’s been working on Call of Duty for 16 years, reflected on the challenge of keeping longtime fans while also welcoming new ones. “We’ve gotten to the point now where Black Ops and Call of Duty have been around so long–I’ve been working on it for 16 years,” he said. “And really the challenge for us is how do you bring along the fans that love Call of Duty, but how do you create an environment where you can welcome new fans in?”
Black Ops 6 came out on October 25 and broke records with player numbers. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella noted the game boosted Game Pass subscribers at its launch. If you have Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, you can play the game as part of your subscription as long as you’re a member. You can also buy it directly for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.
Some people think different about this, though. Take-Two’s Strauss Zelnick said that while Call of Duty might bring in more Game Pass subscribers, it’s only temporary. He believes putting big games in a subscription service isn’t the best idea and loses sales opportunities. But that’s just his view, and it might not align with Microsoft’s goals.
According to Wedbush’s Michael Pachter, putting Black Ops 6 on Game Pass could mean losing up to six million sales. He guessed that a quarter of Game Pass subscribers would have bought the game anyway. Yet, he thinks Microsoft could gain up to four million new subscribers because of it.
We think it’s cool when games bring more people together.
Microsoft hasn’t shared details about how many copies of Black Ops 6 have sold yet. The game is also doing well on PlayStation and PC, with sales better than last year’s Modern Warfare III.
The first big update for Black Ops 6, called Season 1, is coming on November 14. It will bring new multiplayer maps, modes, more guns, and even a power drill as a melee weapon. This is also when Black Ops 6 will join Call of Duty: Warzone, with a new Warzone map called Area 99 arriving on the same day.
