Microsoft is confirming today that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the next installment in the popular franchise, will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass. After a premature notification earlier today, an official Xbox Wire blog post has now revealed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available on Microsoft’s game subscription service later this year.
The confirmation of a Game Pass release for the next Call of Duty installment comes after questions about Call of Duty’s availability on Xbox Game Pass. I reported earlier this month that Microsoft had been debating whether to put new releases of Call of Duty into Game Pass, with concerns from some at the company that the revenue generated from typical Call of Duty sales would be undermined by Game Pass. Activision traditionally sells more than 20 million copies of Call of Duty on average, at around $70 each.
It’s still not clear whether Microsoft plans to raise the prices of its Game Pass Ultimate subscription, and the company hasn’t announced a release date for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, so there are still many months to go until its eventual release on Game Pass. I understand Activision is currently targeting a late October release for Black Ops 6, which is set during the ’90s Gulf War.
Microsoft plans to provide further details about Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 during a special stream after the main Xbox summer showcase on June 9th. The main Xbox showcase will feature a new Gears of War announcement, alongside the next Doom game. The showcase will also include a number of release dates for upcoming Xbox games like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Avowed, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.