- Despite reaching 34 million subscribers, Game Pass growth hasn't met Microsoft's ambitious goal of 100 million by 2030.
- The arrival of Call of Duty Black Ops 6 on launch day could be the game-changer they need, attracting a massive fanbase to the subscription.
- A potential price increase for Game Pass might be offset by including CoD classics alongside Black Ops 6.
The Xbox Game Pass is one service that tries to attract gamers worldwide with its attractive pricing. But, if I am being honest, the Game Pass catalog can be huge, but it is not enough to spend $9.99/month. However, that just might change with Black Ops 6 coming to Xbox Game Pass. With this AAA series coming to Game Pass, the tides just might shift in the favor MS has been dreaming of.
Before we discuss what will happen, let’s understand why. Xbox Game Pass was initially released on June 1, 2017. Since then, Xbox has undergone many leadership changes and adopted the Microsoft Gaming tagline. However, even after all this time, the subscription has only 34 million subscribers.
According to reports, this is a 36% increase from their previous figure of 25 million. Nonetheless, this is not going well with Microsoft’s ambitions. We already know that Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer was talking about the growth of the Xbox Game Pass on PC being on the positive side but the console being on a slow ride. Microsoft already aims to reach 100 million Xbox Game Pass subscribers by 2030.
Call of Duty Shift the Tides?
Game Pass subscriber growth stalled even after the Activision acquisition, but Call of Duty Black Ops 6’s arrival could reignite that growth. With the acquisition, Microsoft promised all Activision games on Xbox Game Pass.
However, we only saw Diablo 4 making its grand debut on the service. Although Phil Spencer announced no Call of Duty games until 2024, the gamers could not wait for an official announcement.
We have already seen some games coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one. Titles like Hellblade 2 (review) are prime examples that show Game Pass will need more than just good games in its catalog. That drive might come from the appeal of Call of Duty being available to gamers without purchasing it for hefty prices. This inclusion could also impact console players more and possibly shift the number of console subscriptions.
Now that Call of Duty Black Ops 6 trailer has confirmed it for Game Pass, fans all over the internet have been praising this decision. The game also has a huge sales record over the years, with an accumulation of over 425 million copies.
Although the game has gone downhill in the past couple of editions, sales have not been affected. Kudos to Xbox for keeping their promise of bringing all Activision games on Xbox Game Pass, too. But doesn’t that sound like a fairy tale?
We Could See a Game Pass Price Hike
While the arrival of COD Black Ops 6 on Game Pass is set in stone, the same can’t be said for prices. There are reports that Microsoft is considering a pricing change on the Game Pass Ultimate. Some speculations also suggest that old COD games, aka the COD classics, will also arrive on the Xbox Game Pass, which can justify the price hike.
According to rumors, Black Ops 6 has been in development for four years, while the testing has been ongoing for over two years. It seems that Activision kept its best product for their Game Pass debut. However, the concern is whether players will activate their subscription just for a game they can enjoy for a few weeks.
Is Activision bringing something promising that will keep users on the subscription for months going forward? Could Black Ops 6 potentially be better than the $70 DLC, Modern Warfare 3 (review)? We can only tell when the game arrives.
Will Call of Duty sales numbers reflect on the Game Pass subscription? Are you getting the subscription now that the Call of Duty is arriving on Xbox Game Pass? Share your thoughts in the comments.
