Analyst: Black Ops 6 to Increase Game Pass Subscribers by 2.5-4 Million New Subscribers.

Recently, news spread that before the release of Black Ops 6, Microsoft removed the option to subscribe to Game Pass for 14 days for $1, expecting Black Ops 6 to significantly increase the number of Game Pass subscribers.

Today, analysts say that the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on Game Pass is likely to bring in millions of new subscribers. GamesIndustry asked several prominent analysts for their opinions on the impact of the release on Game Pass subscriptions. While the responses varied, there was a consensus that the increase would be in the millions.

Piers Harding-Rolls, Chief Gaming Analyst at Ampere, told the site that he believes the release of Black Ops 6 will lead to a 10% increase in Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, meaning approximately 2.5 million new subscriptions.

However, he points out that “a large proportion” of these subscribers may not be entirely new to Game Pass, but may have upgraded from Game Pass Core or Game Pass Standard, neither of which offer Black Ops 6 on its release day.

Michael Pachter, Managing Director of Wedbush Securities, said he believes Xbox could gain between 3 to 4 million new Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions as a result of the release of Black Ops 6, but he cautioned that he also expects a decrease in “traditional” game sales by about 6 million (as many current Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will also want to play it).

Pachter stated that the deal was “generally good for Microsoft and consumers,” but he noted that “the main headline long after the game’s release will be the broad headline: ‘Call of Duty sales have dropped’.”

Harding-Rolls added that while including Black Ops 6 with Game Pass Ultimate on paper may lead to a loss in game sales, the nature of the game’s direct service means that Xbox may instead hope that some Game Pass players will be more willing to spend more money on in-game purchases.

There is no doubt that adding the latest Call of Duty game will be expensive, at least initially, for Microsoft. “However, Call of Duty is a live service game first and foremost, achieving strong in-game profits.

“Microsoft will replace single game sales with a larger audience that can generate revenue within the game instead.”

Players can now pre-download Black Ops 6 before its release on October 25th. The game will be available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC on the Microsoft Store, Block.net, and Steam, and will be available on Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass for PC.