Microsoft Insists It Won’t Lock Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Behind a New Game Pass Tier at Launch

Amid speculation Microsoft plans to launch a new, more expensive tier of Game Pass, the company has confirmed Call of Duty Black Ops 6 will be playable upon launch on all existing tiers.

This week, Microsoft announced the arrival of Call of Duty Black Ops 6 day-one on Xbox Game Pass. It is the first Call of Duty game to do so, and follows Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Microsoft has faced tough questions around the potential cannibalization effect of Game Pass, particularly on games that launch on the service day-one. While Xbox executives have insisted sales can be boosted by a game’s presence on Game Pass, some publishers remain unconvinced. Former Activision boss Bobby Kotick, for example, was always against putting Call of Duty into subscription services. Unlike Microsoft, console rival Sony does not release its new exclusives straight into its subscription service.

Speculation is rife that Microsoft plans to make significant changes to Game Pass to accommodate the launch of Black Ops 6 straight into the service. Some have wondered whether Microsoft planned to launch a new, more expensive tier of Game Pass strictly for day-one titles, locking the likes of Black Ops 6 behind it in the process.

However, a statement issued to Eurogamer by a Microsoft spokesperson ruled that out, at least for the launch of Black Ops 6 later this year.

“Upon launch, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be playable on Xbox and PC for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass for Console members,” Microsoft said.

It’s worth digging into what this statement does not say, as much as what it does say. For a start, it does not rule out a price hike for any or all tiers currently available to subscribers. The statement leaves room for Microsoft to charge more ahead of the launch of Black Ops 6, if it feels that is the correct step.

Similarly, the statement leaves room for Microsoft to make changes to the existing tiers while making Black Ops 6 available on them at launch. Mooted changes include the addition of ads, price rises, or a combination of both.

New Call of Duty games sell for $70 and usually shift around 25 million copies, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. By releasing this year’s Call of Duty straight into Game Pass, Microsoft potentially risks cannibalizing those sales. Of course, Activision will also launch Call of Duty across Xbox, PlayStation, and PC as a game that can be bought outright. But with Game Pass subscriber numbers failing to grow meaningfully Microsoft is under pressure to attract new customers. Adding a mainline Call of Duty game at launch will no doubt help with that.

Microsoft is in the process of cutting 1,900 staff from its gaming business. Earlier this month, the company shocked the video game world by announcing the closure of Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Redfall developer Arkane Austin. There are fears more cuts are to come.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.