Microsoft intends to release Black Ops 6 on Game Pass from Day 1

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Microsoft intends to release Call of Duty Black Ops 6, which is heavily rumored to be called Black Ops Gulf War, on Game Pass on Day 1. The news, which was first broken by Charlie Intel, was accompanied by other rumors that the game is set to launch on October 26.

A report by WSJ states that Microsoft has decided to release the latest Call of Duty Black Ops 6 on Xbox Game Pass after having previously debated on whether to leave all of the money from potential sales on the table.

“Microsoft plans a major shakeup of its videogame sales strategy by releasing the coming installment of Call of Duty to its subscription service instead of the longtime, lucrative approach of only selling it a la carte.”

Image credit: Activision

It was expected the Black Ops 6 would come to Xbox Game Pass, as Microsoft has stated that every first and second-party Xbox title will launch on the service. But, following the closure of four Bethesda studios earlier this month, its been speculated that Microsoft is trying to cut down on costs after having spent $75 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard, which could lead to Black Ops 6 bypassing Game Pass for the time being to drive more sales revenue.

Black Ops 6 is expected to be revealed on June 9th during the Xbox Games Showcase event, along with the announcement that it will launch on Game Pass. The event will also showcase many of the Xbox games that players can expect over the coming months and into 2025, including the new Indiana Jones game. While gamers wait for the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase event, the green brand is set to release one of its biggest titles next week, Hellblade 2, which was first revealed back in 2019.