Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Is Launching Day One On Xbox Game Pass

hasn't this already been announced?

Well done Xbox, glad you stuck to your original game pass promise.

This is going to be followed by a price hike announcement. Depending on what that is, I will decide if it's worth it to have it beyond my current subscription.

Personally, Call of Duty is not worth paying more for.

@FraserG I saw a pop up, wish I managed to catch it or read it fully. Anyone grab a screen shot?

So all the rumours about COD not going to Gamepass were malicious lies. Take note of those 'insiders' when they launch the next Xbox crisis after the showcase.

Exactly what Microsoft had stated, "Game Pass is a gaming subscription, you get a whole portfolio of games, but importantly you get every single one of the games we build day one in Game Pass."

Perhaps not malicious, but just rumours and lies widely spread without a single official confirmation or source, when there were several official statements confirming exactly the opposite.

@Banjo- why would you believe anything these execs say? They've already been on the record multiple times saying A and then delivering B.

If Satya and Amy wake up tomorrow and decide that scrapping Game Pass altogether would appease the shareholders, they would do it in an instant.

The assertion is that there was internal conflict about what to do with CoD on Game Pass. There was never a report that it wasn't coming to Game Pass.
The price of GP could still raise to pay for CoD, we will have to wait and see on that one. But the news is good so far.

@BRT15 "why would you believe anything these execs say?"

Just one question, would you rather believe rumours (with lies potentially included) instead? What is more reliable?

The news today are, "The rumours were lies and the official statement 'you get every single one of the games we build day one in Game Pass' we didn't give any credit to was right."

Something to look forward to...👍

@Dimey Never 'formally' confirmed which has led to speculation - as people think MS would lose too much 'Sales' revenue. Its speculation that CoD on Game Pass would 'lose' MS too much money to consider it Day 1.

CoD doesn't sell that many on Xbox compared to PS and what people seem to forget about Game Pass is that you only ever get the 'base' game free. This won't be the 'Prestige' edition with the first 'Season Pass' with all those rewards to earn - Game Pass users will need to 'buy' that. CoD also has Bundles and CoD Points too to sell.

Every 'game or MTX sold, ABK would only receive 70% as 30% would go to the Platform holder, now MS will get 100% on their Platform whilst still getting that 70% from Sony sales too. Playstation owners aren't going to rush out to buy a Series X to play CoD on Game Pass when its cheaper to buy the game on PS5. Most 'CoD' fanboys are likely to 'buy' the game they intend to play ALL year instead of keep paying monthly.

Sell 5m and you can only sell up to 5m Season Passes every few months, only sell up to 5m of any bundle - limited market place for those. Get 30m in, and you have a much larger market to sell Season Passes, Bundles etc to. If they get more people into 'CoD' on Xbox because its now on Game Pass, they could make 'more' money on sales of 'extra' content. Its also expected to release on more platforms in the future - MS made a deal with Nintendo so with 140m Switch owners, they could sell 5m copies there to make up for the 5m 'lost' sales on Xbox for example too

@Banjo- well, if the Tango situation has thought us anything, these execs are also prone to lying i.e. Aaron Greenberg. Either way, I think there's a third option which is don't believe anyone and just wait till things get released and put out.

Personally I jumped on the Xbox bandwagon 2 years ago for the first time cause I thought they were a lot more consumer friendly but since being on the platform, the messaging from Xbox themselves has been wildly inconsistent that its hard to want to remain on the platform.

@BBB Indeed I think CoD is still strong for now, but it is also in slow decline. The last releases weren't received that well, which hasn't helped. There are still a lot of people that will buy it every year for some time yet though.

Hoping for a great campaign this time round.
Also will it have zombies this year.

I love how dramatic some of you guys are... 🤣

@FraserG sure, I saw some news (not here on PX) from insiders that it wouldn't come at all.

Aside from these lies, it is an easy job to be an insider. Take this COD issue for an example: You can say MS is considering something, others will repost because the responsibility it's not theirs anyway, no one could ever confirm that information because this kind of thing would be discussed during a closed meeting, if nothing happens you can claim 'I just said they were considering'. On the other hand if your guess ends up becoming the truth you gain 'credibility'.

By the way I've heard MS is considering adding GTA 6 day one at Gamepass.

@FraserG Apologies I meant an mobile capture, but yeah I see the evidence above, good times.

It says "Game Pass" not "Xbox Game Pass", I take this to mean any hardware with the Game Pass subscription service installed and paying for monthly/annually.
Xbox, PC........ PlayStation, Switch, Samsung TV's?
I could be crazy, but that's where the money's going to be in the future.

With Xdefiant mediocre reviews, Call of Duty has everything to be once more king of shooters.

@Foxx_64740 Exactly! One could argue that it was worth reporting because there was no recent output about it from any official source or it was not clear enough but, in this case, Microsoft had stated exactly the opposite of what those rumours were saying and not once but twice this year, "you get every single one of the games we build day one in Game Pass." They can't be more specific than that.

Spotlight on Baron Greenback (Aaron Greenberg) now. For this to work, marketing must be at a high level. It must reach the ears of all the mainstream. Do that and number WILL rocket because you would need to be an idiot to not sign up (if you're on xbox or pc).

@Gamer_X Dunno Halo MP is amazing and I still enjoy many BF games, COD is COD, so yeah it has the casual power across the market. But is COD still amazing no, but it's very popular, hoping this one is good

Nice! Just hoping it doesnt mean we have to pay more for gamepass just for CoD, even if I want to play the campaign.

Also, would be great if we could get the old CoD, want to play those campaigns too

Not a huge COD fan but I'll definitely check out the campaign on GP. Expected but still a great addition, hope they add the older ones eventually too!

@mac_da_man Hoping maybe the back catalogue goes into game pass just for nostalgia, I've just purchased MW3 for £30 using key site, as my friends kept nagging me. I prefer BF and Halo but enjoy COD MP as it's quick daft fun, will give it a go tonight maybe. Good shout Mac.

To be expected. I also expect a price increase for subsidized game pass going forward every other year or so. As the Xbox subsidiary needs the money to keep up with licensing fees for third party GP titles along with keeping up the development costs and salaries for its own internal studios. It’s a delicate balance to remain profitable. As COD games prior to the subscription model made a lot of money brand new for each unit outright. I just wish they would bring back a pure Xbox live lower tier because I don’t care for GP but just want to play online games that I own.

@JoyfulFire They rushed the last game because it was being developed right before the acquisition, turning DLC into a new release, apparently so the bigwigs could reap the benefits. In spite of that, it was another commercial success. I just hope that the next game has a good campaign properly developed by the dedicated teams and that other ABK teams are able to focus on other IPs like Spyro, Crash and Tony's Hawk.

@Vaako007 Microsoft revealed that they spend around $1b on third party deals for Game Pass every year and they earn over $5b with 34+ million subscribers. Call of Duty can only increase those numbers and they don't have to pay anything else. Every Call of Duty sale on another platform is also extra revenue they didn't have before, 70% on PS and a higher percentage on Windows (depending on the store), the biggest market.

Game Pass had a minimal price increase before the acquisition. I don't think that they will increase the price when Call of Duty launches. The current situation is that Game Pass almost never includes DLC nor the top-end editions except, paradoxically, a third-party game that got all its content included in Game Pass Ultimate (plus free perk), Persona 3 Reload (worth £85/€$100!). My bet is that Game Pass will be the same price after Call of Duty and that all the extra content will be available separately, with premium add-ons bundles like Forza (10% off if you are subscribed). Multiplayer will be also included in Game Pass because that's the most popular mode and keeps people subscribed.

I've said a few times they were boxed in a corner. Pull it from GP and kill the main promise of GP, damaging the whole GP subscription permanently. Keep it in GP at the same price and cause a cash flow problem. Raise prices, go back on the promise to governments. They kind of didn't have a choice but to include it if they wish to continue GP. But I don't think they eat the cost for long. The question is just if they raise prices again and risk subscriber attrition, or get creative with tiers, but it may have to wait until next COD. Raising prices may also backfire and make it so the CoD dedicated player is better off with Core and buying the game and not upgrading to Ulitmate. Unless they just raise the price of Core to force the upgrade to ultimate.

I don't think they had a choice to include it, anything else would have caused irreparable damage to GP itself. But there's no way they don't claw back the lost sales from someone, even if they hold off announcing it until January.

And I bet master chief will be in the game at some point aswell

Nice one Gamepass , not so nice for PS Premium owners who have to pay £70 on top of their subscription for the game.

Received a game pass notification about COD day one, and then it deleted itself in a second.
I'm not sure if it was a mistake, I Hope not.

Cool. Now how about confirming 4 player split screen zombies?

Hey, that’s pretty cool. At least I don’t have to buy it to play a mediocre story.

@Nic-Noc20th-C Same here, when I clicked the message, it took me to an empty web page...

This is good, but we now need to see some clear messaging from Microsoft:

Is this going to happen every year, or is this year a trial to see how much revenue is lost from sales? As an example, I won't be buying it now as I only ever play the campaign, so this is an opportunity for me to save myself some money. Question then, is how many other people think similarly, and, on the flipside, how many more people will buy subscriptions in order to play the game, and does it move the sales of Xbox consoles dial sufficiently to call it a success?

Then the other thing that Microsoft need to be clear on is this going to come with a tiered subscription service (similar to PlayStation's), with CoD obviously sitting in that top tier. If that does happen, what other future games would be in that tier, or is it something specific to CoD? And will the cost of the middle tier (which I assume would be the top tier that we currently have, with Core at the bottom) also rise, or will that remain at its current price.

Unfortunately, I think Microsoft will likely insist on a price hike for Game Pass, which I think is probably the worst thing they could do. Chasing that initial short-term revenue will quite possibly make people that regularly subscribe to Game Pass, question doing so, particularly if they have no interest in CoD. So the knock-on effect could be significant (as an example, when PlayStation raised the price of their subscription services (without giving an additional benefit, but that's a whole other matter) I immediately cancelled my ongoing subscription. Will the potential for increased revenue by raising the price of Game Pass be offset by the number of people that cancel their subscriptions? People love a bargain, but when something ceases to be a bargain, and is instead seen as expensive, people then need to justify that expense, and it's possible that many simply cannot do that, so Microsoft need to be careful here.

I'm sure these debates are happening behind closed doors, and it is likely that Xbox are saying one thing, and Microsoft another. Unfortunately, I think as we have seen in recent times, it is Microsoft that are the ones imposing these decisions on Xbox. It is also most likely the reason we have yet to see Phil Spencer (not seen since prior to the Tango announcement) as he probably does not agree with what is being done, and I have my doubts as to whether Hood and Nadella are even listening to him at all right now. It will be interesting to see Spencer when he appears on the 9th of June. His body language, and what he says (and more importantly doesn't!) could be very interesting indeed...

Make no mistake, this is a make or break situation for Game Pass and the Xbox platform in general, if CoD doesn’t bring meaningful traction to both Xbox consoles and Game Pass subs we can be sure that nothing will, however if this actually becomes a bigger success than expected and even reverses the downtrend for Xbox consoles and Game Pass subs, Microsoft might just realize their platform is worth keeping…

I really don't think putting this game on gamepass kills the sales of the game or will have any affect on the longterm health of the franchise. We know a large number of the core call of duty players don't buy more than a couple games per year (according to sony more than 1 million of their users only buy call of duty) . Gamepass doesnt make sense for those players. Based on the reports out there, xbox has the smallest cod player count of ps,pc, xbox. We also know that xbox has a legally binding contract to start putting call of duty games on Nintendo. They will sell a ton of copies for the foreseeable future.

The main takeaway for me is that gamepass will have more players playing call of duty than normal. Potentially bringing in more skin sale opportunities.

I really don't see this as a make or break situation.

Since the Series S/X released, CoD has been much stronger linked to Playstation with the games from 2020-2023 all releasing with 'bonuses' for Playstation gamers. MW3 had over 70% of its 'sales' on Playstation and those 70% are not likely to 'jump' to Xbox to play CoD on a Subscription service. $500 for a Series X (similar to the PS5 in terms of visuals/performance), then $180 a year on GPU to save '$70' on Playstation. Therefore we are unlikely to see a 'big' shift in Consoles sold.

PC gamers too won't buy an Xbox to play CoD on Game Pass, they can get Game Pass on PC - again whether they'd Subscribe and 'keep' subscribing for CoD or buy their favourite IP to play whenever they want without needing to keep a subscription.

Game Pass ONLY becomes beneficial if those 'CoD' gamers also want to play at least 1 or two other AAA games, otherwise its cheaper to buy CoD to play for 'years' if you want.

For those that may only play the Campaign, they aren't likely to spend $70 day 1 for that regardless. If they buy, its often in a sale several years later. Most that play MP will buy a Season Pass as that enhances their experience, enjoy earning and unlocking the seasonal rewards, the events.

MS may 'lose' some sales on Xbox, but Xbox was the weakest for Sales anyway. They also expressed releasing CoD on Nintendo which could sell 'more' than Xbox normally does as it has a much LARGER user base. Even if it doesn't sell to '10%' like on Xbox, selling to 5% could still sell more copies than Xbox loses and Switch 2 is expected soon...

When it may matter is when the 'next' gen Consoles arrive. If the majority of PS gamers 'jump' to Xbox because of Call of Duty on Game Pass, that is a massive chunk of 'sales' lost - although a big gain in Console and Subscription share. If they 'choose' to stick with PS because that's where their Digital Library is, MS make more in Sales of CoD.

Its a game that make 'billions' annually - mostly from MTX and most of that money is on PS where MS, like ABK will take 70%. On Xbox, MS now get 100% of ALL Sales and of course Subscription fees (it does require 'Game Pass Core' as a minimum) and money from Warzone on EVERY platform....

Unrelated but should the gamepass June announcements be today?

@Gamer_X You know, COD is always king, I've been playing COD on the Xbox, Xbox 360 generation since 2005, I saw HALO, I saw Battlefield, I saw Killzone, I saw Resistance.

ALL CLAiM to be the next cod killer

Awesome news this cod is home

@Fiendish-Beaver I'm basically going to watch the Jun 9th presentation and depending on how that presentation looks depends on if I start adding RTX cards to my price watch lists. I'm expecting to see a very awkward Phil and leave with no more answers than I went in with. If they show us Nadella instead of Phil again, panic. Phil being silent this long, even through what should have been a major game launch, is definitely worrisome on its own.

IDK what to make of the effect of price hikes. I think on console they can get away with almost anything because of the dependency of paid online and their ability to manipulate that pricing to push people to higher tiers. Look at Sony's massive price hike yet people keep paying. But they have to be very careful of PC GP price hikes. That's been their growth market, but there's a much lower cutoff point there where people won't find it worthwhile no matter what's in it unless they stop putting games on Steam too. EA just hiked prices on EA Play, but EA Play PC was always a much different, much better product than the console version, and includes all the DLC on their sports games making it still a huge no brainer for their sports faithful. On console it really depends if you're that invested in EAs games.

MS also seems to be baking their own version of FSR/DLSS into their new ARM laptops, clearly pushing toward mass market streaming with local non-GPU frame generation upscaling on the AI NPUs. But remember when they were going to put streaming in Samsung TVs and the streaming stick that's still AWOL? They try things and change it. Goes back to their "every screen" approach. That's only $1000+ laptops for now, but eventually will be everywhere. Will MS get to a point there's no need for consoles when you can stream to their laptops with decent graphics? Or do they move on by then like the streaming stick? They're kind of putting their fingers in every cookie jar so they can grab the cookie with the best texture when they find it. Good for business. Bad for customers. Backed the wrong horse? Too bad, start again. That affects PC too.

@BAMozzy I don't think @IOI meant make or break financially, so much as whether CoD in GP can revive the console and boost it's fortunes with a surge of XB buyers and GP subscribers on PC will determine the fate of the platforms. Yes, CoD will make money either way. But if CoD price advantage doesn't make console sales surge, or GP subs thrive, it kind of marks the current hardware and sub strategy as effectively unsalvageable. If Console sales still suck but PC GP surges, the focus will shift to everything PC GP. If Console sales surge, it may lead them to focus more on building the console platform growth. If console and PC GP remain relatively stagnant, it means the whole current strategy isn't moving the needle for them and they'll have to go in new directions. (No idea what directions, mind you.) CoD is pretty much the biggest trial balloon you can float. If handing it out in a cheap sub can't boost your customer base, nothing really will other than special perks in GTA6, or making Fallout exclusive (yeah, right.)

@FraserG thanks il look out then 🙂 was thinking have they forgot I thought it was usually 2nd n last Tuesday each month thought they'd forgot 🤣😭😭

Surely this goes without saying? When ever has a first party Xbox game NOT released onto Game Pass day one?

Although didn’t Sony and Activision have a contract that stated that future CoD titles up to a certain point to never release into a subscription service, especially Microsoft’s?

This is great news and a sign of trust in a moment where that has been jeopardized by decisions and rumors.

If THIS doesn't move the needle for Game Pass subscribers or Xbox console sales, I'm not sure what can?

@NEStalgia Exactly this, if there’s something that can move the needle in terms of Xbox’ popularity is Call of Duty, the game will be a financial success either way but where and how users play it will ultimately determine the future of the platform.

@Dimey No, although you wouldn't be blamed for assuming so.

A lot of things at Xbox since the studio closures have all been pure speculation and insider whispers, since the usual people that can't stop talking like Phil Spencer the god, the savior, the gamer just like us, have all gone radio silence since then. And retweets and reposts don't count.

And its always a great sign when things leak out. It always means happy developers, just look at the new leaks of multiplatform Doom The Dark Ages from no other then the happy studios at Bethesda.

What are people’s thoughts on this if they announce a price increase for game pass? Say if they increase it by $5 a month, you’re effectively just paying a $60 a year to play COD

@IOI Microsoft are making a new console that is their official line, not the silly negative rumours that people like to latch onto, they clearly know the Xbox is worth keeping.
Just like Sony when the PS3 was Flopping and they were losing Billions, they still kept going because all Multi Corporations think about is money, and there is plenty of that to go around in the video game industry.

@NEStalgia Short of making the Game Exclusive, this is unlikely to move the needle for 'Xbox' specifically. At best, it will be the 'next' generation where people will decide where to play next.

Those on Playstation are 'unlikely' to swap consoles just to play CoD on Xbox, let alone on Game Pass. It 'may' help sell a few more Subscriptions on PC/Console as its a 'game' that people who already have the Hardware may enjoy playing, but others will 'buy' as they always have.

The fact is that CoD is NOT being pulled from Playstation, may even be released and sold on more Hardware and will have 'parity', no bonus content to make you play on Xbox specifically, its not likely to 'move' the needle.

It may end up making MS 'more' money - just because it reaches more gamers and as such, sells more Season Passes and more MTX's etc that is 're-invested' into the Xbox Ecosystem. The 'only' advantage for CoD Gamers on PC/Xbox is the option to 'rent' the base game Day/Date - much cheaper if you only play the Campaign and/or maybe better than waiting for a sale or buying used. CoD also has Warzone and that too will make Money - maybe even bring more in via CoD on Game Pass.

As it won't be on 'Game Pass' or on Xbox 'exclusively', there is 'little' incentive to buy an Xbox if you prefer Playstation. Its 'cheaper' to spend $70 to buy that same game on PS5 (although MS only get about 70%) than buy a Series X for the same quality and spend $180 for a year of Game Pass. Therefore I doubt you'll see a seismic shift.

The only Gamers this will really impact to 'move the needle' are those who still play on last gen Console Hardware who aren't bothered about 'Digital' libraries and will likely play 2 or more 'Game Pass games' to consider the Game Pass route. That way they may 'choose' to buy a Series Console and GPU to play CoD. Few (compared to PS5) buy CoD on Xbox and a portion of those would still 'buy' CoD on Xbox because its their favourite Franchise or don't play enough other games to warrant Game Pass. They aren't moving the 'needle' anyway as they are already on 'Xbox'...

Any 'increase' in Hardware sold or even Game Pass Subscriptions cannot be directly attributed to CoD as a 'measuring' stick as other games (like Avowed, Fable, Stalker 2, Doom, Fallout etc) or even 'old' games (like MW2, BO2, Diablo 3, Prototype etc) coming to GP may also 'boost' sales of Hardware/Subs as MS finally get the 'games' out. Is it CoD that saw people buy Xbox/GP or was Exclusives like Stalker 2 and Avowed?

Therefore I don't think this is 'make or break'. If it makes money across all platforms then its helping MS - they are getting a 'huge' chunk of money from Playstation/Steam gamers, maybe even Nintendo gamers too and would be far more 'detrimental' to MS to release CoD day/date into Game Pass exclusively to try and boost Console/Subscription sales.

Also they'd rather you bought Season Passes, MTX's on 'Xbox' over PS5 because MSs get 100% of the revenue - but 70% from Sony customers is still a big chunk. So giving away a game knowing you'll get 100% of all the money that person spends on MTX, maybe even on buying the game later down the line as Game Pass Customers can purchase Game Pass Games too with a 'discount'. All of which will make it 'impossible' to assess whether CoD into GP has moved the 'needle' in the short term because there are too many 'factors' that are also in play. CoD may not 'move' the needle because its not Exclusive but maybe MSFS24, Stalker 2, Avowed and/or Indiana Jones (expected before Christmas) help MS shift more Consoles/Subs along 'with' CoD but CoD itself won't

@Kloppo Who pays per month when Microsoft allow you to buy Full Digital games and 'subscriptions' from 3rd parties saving a fortune compared to store prices.
It's only Sony who lock you to their Digital Store prices.

@Kloppo Game Pass Ultimate went up a few months ago here - an extra £1 a month for me. I think its $15 now in the US. Its 'required' for CoD on Xbox Console - Otherwise you'll have to pay the $70 for Base Game + your monthly 'Online' Access Sub (PS+ Essential or Game Pass Core) just to play all the content.

Anyway, a $1 increase for 35m Subscribers is an extra $35m a month or $420m a year. As Subscriber numbers grow, that monthly increase grows. Another 5m Subs, an extra $5m a month ($60m a year) from just that $1 increase earlier this year will bring.

I doubt they'll raise the price this year and we will see what CoD, along with games like MSFS24, Avowed, Indiana Jones, Stalker 2 etc releasing this year has on 'Xbox' and 'Subscriber' numbers it's not just those 'releases' either, Its the 'long term' prospects to not only get people to want to Subscribe, but then stay Subscribed - Games like Fable, Perfect Dark, Outer Worlds 2, Clockwork Revolution etc as well as whatever games they reveal at the Showcase like Doom, Gears of War or Banjo Kazooie...

If you 'just' play CoD, its not worth it to save '$70' to play for just 1yr until the next CoD comes out. Its better to buy the game, you'll likely buy MTX/Season Passes too so no 'lost' sale to MS

Some may think its 'worth' signing up to Game Pass now CoD is in it, thus increase their Monthly revenue, and you'll still buy Season Passes etc

Some may sign up for a month just to play the campaign - but those people never bought CoD at full price and more likely buy used too. They may not have had a sale from these anyway but now got 'something'

No doubt, this will have a 'Premium' Edition with the first 'Season Pass' included and/or maybe 'early access' too for 'pre-orders' (inc Physical and Playstation versions) so that will be a 'paid for' upgrade (like they did with Starfield where you got Early Access and the Expansion) but other Game Pass owners who didn't 'pay' will now have to buy the Expansion if they want to play it. Those 'Game Pass' gamers who get the 'Base' game through Game Pass will still have to buy Season Passes, CoD Points and/or Cosmetic Bundles to get the most out of MP. So they will still make 'money' whether you play via Game Pass or bought the Game on Xbox, money is coming in 'monthly' with 'new' content for sale across 'Paid' (MW3) and 'Free Access' CoD (Warzone) - both linked too so going to be 'very' difficult to say that Player's are not making 'Xbox' more money because its on Game Pass through 'lost' sales when maybe it has 10x the player 'numbers' than last years for example on Day 1. They weren't 'all' sales as the game doesn't sell that many over its lifetime on Xbox let alone Day so 'not' lost sales, more new eyes.

But it could lead to 3x the Season Passes sold because more decide to keep playing through Game Pass with their friends who also have Game Pass. People that gave up on CoD years ago coming back, having fun and staying for the friendships...

@BAMozzy I agree with your reasoning that CoD etc isn't that likely to cause a jump from PS. But that also represents a problem for both XB console and for GP, because it's another example of no matter what they do not really moving the needle for them, the user bases are entrenched where they are and they really can't do much to shift it at this point. They've acknowledged that and acknowledged that they can't really shift people away from PS, and need to find a new market to reach, but once again that doesn't really help their console space. Which in turn doesn't help GP. In that sense PC players will be the test, if they shift a lot more PCGP subs as a result or if business on PC is status quo. I don't see it shifting much but again that comes back to, how can they meet their GP growth targets if even CoD at the current price won't move the needle.

The answer, I don't think is 'big exclusives' either. We've seen that there's big demand for Xbox games but not enough to get people to buy their console

Nobody's worried that Xbox will make money as a publisher. But the concern is that if no matter what they do most of their revenue is coming from someone else's platforms and GP has stalled, and even the biggest games in gaming won't move that needle....why bother selling consoles and running GP? GP really becomes a place holder for that mythical all streamed future.

I can't really argue any of your reasoning, but, at the same time those points have got to be hitting MS corporate in the thought of "why are we bothering with consoles if all our margin and growth is everywhere else except?"

OTOH you brought up one good point which is players still on last gen. There's a lot of them and they still need to be won over. CoD and GTA6 are the two big reasons people will upgrade. GTA will pull people to PS since they have that association. CoD is MS's big chance to pull them into Xbox/GP ecosystem.

And FFS MS, FIX THE WINDOWS STORE AND ITS LIBRARY. The fact that you can't even buy Elden ring or 70% of other games on PC from Microsoft is just pitiful.

@NEStalgia If you look at 'Minecraft', whilst that is a very different game, it does have parallels. No-one buys Xbox because the 'biggest' selling Game in the world is on Game Pass/Xbox - its available wherever you play and its making MS money from its worldwide accessibility on every platform. Yes they may 'lose' some money to Sony to sell the game on that platform, but they get money from that Platform too.

CoD is such a big IP, its one they want to use to get you into on whatever Platform you choose to play because it will make money there - its too much money to ignore or pull away from, its better to think about how you can 'grow' that fanbase not shrink/limit it.

You have great Single Player experiences that are Unique to MS - that's what you use to bring people into your 'ecosystem' and Windows PC is the Open version of their Windows Xbox Console - its the same 'Family'

That's why I mentioned Games like Avowed, Flight Sim 24, Stalker 2, Fable, Indiana Jones, Starfield Expansion, these 'Exclusives' will make a bigger difference and that continues with other Games, some may well release on PS if they have a reason (likely Online Community based game-play so 'friends/family' can play together 'regardless' of platform) Doom or better served to bring Players in - Fable, Perfect Dark, Clockwork Revolution.

Next gen - even if MS release 'most' games on PS6, you can still play them on Xbox (or ANYWHERE) via Game Pass - maybe you prefer the latest handheld PC or have a great PC rig, maybe phones are so powerful by then or TV's can play games on their built in Chips that you only buy a PS6 for the 'few' exclusives that has but you are still in the 'MS Gaming' (Xbox/Game Pass) ecosystem.

If you are going to spend your time on PS6 playing a Microsoft owned IP, buying their games and content, that's still benefiting MS - all the CoD Merchandise, the pulling power of that IP all benefits Microsoft. You may choose to buy an Xbox next, choose to play on PC or whatever other device they'll sell it on, but you'll still be in a MS game, still making MS money etc - just 'different' ways of getting you into a Microsoft owned IP and therefore contributing to their growth/revenue. They don't see PC as different to 'Console' as its the same family...

If those that have both hardware jump to Xbox to play via Game Pass they already Sub to, that may well be a 'LOST' sale, but they've also converted all the 'extras' they buy into 100% money for them instead of 70% with 30% going to Sony. Over time that adds up...

@BAMozzy Again I agree most of the way around. But I always come back to the point, if their console is unpopular, if it's not growing, or worse, is shrinking, at what point does it become a dead end product, where Nadella is infamous for culling dead end products.

Totally agree that PC is "open" xbox, and that's why I'm looking into PC as an Xbox replacement more than as a PS replacement, because it really is an Xbox Pro but better. But of course that goes back to the disaster Windows Store. You really can't buy most games from MS on PC, you have to buy from anyone else. And Play Anywhere is awesome, but most publishers couldn't care less, and features like that aren't features if they're not actually well supported.

Where I do disagree is those "great single player experiences" selling consoles. I don't think exclusives are that powerful anymore. Yeah the online PS crowd talks up exclusives but sales numbers show it's a small fraction of their actual install base that's interested. Most are buying for CoD, GTA, Fortnite, whatever. If all those MS exclusives were truly hardware exclusive, I'm still unconvined people will buy Xboxes en masse for them. Likewise I don't think people buy PSs en masse for their exclusives anymore. And we see with how popular SoT is, that's a game that failed to move X1 or XS much, yet demand for the game from non XB owners is very high. The exclusives aren't selling the hardware even when they're desirable.

That remains a problem for them, figuring out how to get people into the ecosystem. And figuring out if it's worth the cost of trying.

And again that's where the future Xboxes that are really PCs come in and bridge the gaps if my guess is right. But as things go that direction to me it feels more and more like MS weening away from console and back to being primarily a PC publisher....like they were before the 2000 launch of XB.

@NEStalgia Consoles are a 'cheap' but consistent platform for gamers who either can't afford or don't want the hassle of PC and the 'Exclusives' are to sell that Hardware over another Box.

With how powerful chips are these days with 'built-in' gpus, inc AI too, maybe a 'handheld' PC that has EVERY Xbox game + all the PC games inc Sony's PC releases for a Console price that maybe can sync to your 4k TV and still deliver 60fps+ is better? Would you also buy an Xbox just because its a MS console or see it as just an 'alternative' for those that maybe prefer that? Especially plug/play with 'static' hardware you know devs will 'optimise' for where PC require Operators to Optimise. Both are still in the Xbox Ecosystem and get you into Game Pass too to spend time/money through for MS's gaming growth

@themightyant "Day 6," God willing. Pay up or wait.

Not gonna complain....got 4 xboxs now so potential to play with the missus and 2 kids at same time on this ...If it can pull them away from Fortnite

That's awesome. I will buy it anyway. It's one of the only games that I purchase every year. I have no problem with that.

Never had any doubt that MS would put COD on Game Pass day 1. The money MS will make on COD being on Game Pass will very likely surpass the amount it would have made not being on Game Pass for Xbox, once MTX’s are factored in. And in total, all platforms included, this game will continue to be a money printing machine.

I know a lot of people don’t like COD, but this has the potential to be a significant move for Xbox. Wether it will be remains to be seen…

This is going to make Xbox consoles far more appealing to the casual COD player.

As long as there's no massive price hike, I'll stay subbed and play some cod like it's 2009.

@IOI Games Pass isn't gonna change much for Call of Duty.
Fifa before the switch to EA FC, GTA5 & Minecraft are still top sellers & available on Games Pass.
People who tend to buy it won't stop as it's still the cheaper option for the majority. I don't play COD but will try it on Games Pass so they will gain subs from people like me.
You also need to look at free to play titles like Fortnite how lowering the bar for entry increases revenue through micro transactions.

Xbox sales of the last COD made up only 8% of total sales. So if that drops to 4% but due to Games Pass brings in million of more players who are willing to buying ultimate editions upgrades for £30 or micro transactions then in the long run it's more money.

If you're writing a 1000 word essay for a comment, it's probably time to step outside for a bit.

@Banjo- I’m sure they will raise the price again in the future. As third parties will up their fees for licensing depending on the success of games. Let’s say the next Xbox becomes the console leader for example with base that dwarfs PlayStation. Third parties will want a bigger cut for their licensing rights and GP will have to go up. The current GP numbers can be bragged about as Xbox live is done and everyone has to get a GP tier to play online.

Like I said before I have no interest in GP, I don’t like that I’m a part of it just to play online. I’d rather just have a tier that is for online. I truly don’t care for this subscription model for gaming nor do I like other subscription models for software. I buy games outright for my series X. I know I’m in the minority but I don’t like supporting this business model.

Ok it's good that it is on day one as if it wasn't then that'd undermine a main selling point of GP as it wasn't supposed to be a "Second Tier" of service where you'd have to wait to get first party titles. This means I might try out a CoD game released this decade

I'll also take this opportunity, however, to give a middle finger to the marketing department at Activision for putting, literal, fake news on the cover of newspapers all over the world. They're sensationalist hacks, and the newspaper publishers are just as bad for going along with it.

@NintendoByNature take me back ! 😭

@NintendoByNature unfortunately 2009 will never come back, trash talk and a different kind of gamers, nice MW2 at the time, played a lot on the xbox 360

@XBOX045 @nomither6 haah yep! Them were some good times. I haven't played cod in nearly 10 years actually. It just stopped innovating for me after a while, much like madden. But after a long hiatus, I can see myself enjoying it again.

Shame it's happened when cod has lost what made it good now just a fortnite clone with silly skins

@Ver The only thing I'm surprised about is how Game Pass is sustainable and how it hasn't destroyed Xbox yet. That statement applies to it's current state. I think it would be perfect if they used it only for games that had already made their money. Sell all games at normal price normally until they made their money back and it aren't selling anymore.

@NEStalgia I bet they could pull a never heard of move, such as an offer to PS users to match their digital library purchases from PS the best they could and that still wouldnt be enough to get most of them to switch to Xbox. I really think the main reason Xbox isn't #1 is because they missed out on the real migration to digital libraries. It's really sad because I do believe most things about Xbox and the entire Microsoft ecosystem are far superior in technology and ideas than the competition. They just need to manage it correctly. It's like they have a gold mine they are sitting on and they are just using it to sit around the camp fire, drinking beer.

@Ver I did work for them in the past, so maybe that is a good idea. I still stay in touch with a few people that still work there. I'll give them my 2 cents and turn things around in a jiffy. I'll get right on it Skipper.

I figure they are just trying to make Xbox like the other parts of their business. They sell Windows and Office, yet offer some Microsoft branded hardware. They sell Xbox software and offer some hardware to use it with just the same. I really think that rumor about opening up Xbox console to other manufacturers is probably a reality, but like everyone is saying, how can they make money at it if Microsoft takes a loss? What I think is gonna happen, like I said before is that Xbox is going to just be a PC with certain spec guidelines as tiers and a the Xbox software front end. Then they can have manufacturers sell their version just like they do with PCs and there doesn't have to be any custom hardware made. I'm my opinion that's really the only way forward. Custom console hardware is just not sustainable price wise. You start getting into gaming PC pricing real quick, so why not just do that. I'm also sure they will find a way to keep backwards compatibility working so all of our Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X games will work on this new platform, which means that we will probably be able to do all of that on a normal PC as well. I'm guessing that it will probably only apply to digital purchases. Most people don't have disc drives anymore and most people probably never bought a Blu-ray drive for their computer. It would also be a piracy nightmare.

@themightyant It's day £70 on PS5 even if they have PS Premium, so I doubt any Gamepass owners care that people can pay to play earlier than the Gamepass release date, in fact they are helping cover the cost.

@Kloppo That's why I say just buy the game.

@ZYDIO I think it's even simpler than digital libraries. That definitely plays a factor, but you're also right that they could match your PS library for free and people still wouldn't switch even with better features and lower prices. I think it's really just brand. The Xbox brand image isn't fashionable or trendy, or nostalgic, it's just kind of there. PS gets the old timers who still think it's the glory days of PS1 Japanese gaming even if it's just a worse Xbox now. It gets the kids that See Playstation as a cool brand to be associated with and is what everyone else uses. I think Xbox's main problem is just that it never created brand appeal or image, it's not a lifestyle brand, and the one group it had a chance to be nostalgic with, the 360 dudebros with the backward baseball cap (c'mon we know that's the image of a 360 fan) basically all jumped ship to PS when MS destroyed the Xbox brand's image in 2013.

It's like getting people that shop at department stores to shop at Walmart. Even if you stocked the Walmart with the exact same brands of products, at better prices with faster checkout, people will just look down at shopping in Walmart because it's not their department store.

Xbox also has the other problem of their own making in that it basically duplicates the functionalities of a PC, but in limited fashion. So you have half the market segment that likes the lifestyle consumer consumable of Playstation, and the other half of the market that sees Xbox as basically a limited, caged PC, and just goes PC. So it leaves Xbox itself as a kind of in-between product. Neither for enthusiasts (where PC is Xbox Pro Plus) nor casuals (where PS is lifestyle.) Kind of gives it an awkward slice of market as a console.

Edit: I do think licensing is going to be the issue for BC on a PC product. I think for the Xbox branded PCs they'll be able to do some legal loopholing to get publishers' games supported as BC under the original console licensing terms, even if they have to stick some custom DRM chip on there or something. But IDK they can get around the licensing agreements to get BC XB games onto an XB PC frontend. That's basically just Play Anywhere which publishers seem to hate and not agree to, or emulation which is probably against or restricted to bespoke hardware in the contract terms with publishers. So for library BC you may still need to get the branded hardware.

@NEStalgia I must be in the minority because I never care about if a brand is cool or not or if everyone else is doing it. I look at the facts, the specifications and if that product is going to work for me better than the others available. I guess I'm just a weirdo.

@Ver Well I've been sitting here contemplating all day if I should forgive you or not. I mean that kind of crossed the line and I'm just not sure. I'm obviously just messing with you. It takes a lot more than that to hurt my feelings, but apology accepted. Edit: I almost forgot to reply to the rest of what you said. I had no idea they were making that much money on Game Pass. If that's the case then maybe it is working and what is good for gaming, who knows. I think as long as they put quality first and it is still affordable, then it might be okay. I don't want them to have 500 games that suck instead of five that are awesome.

@ZYDIO Yeah I'm the same, and I don't get it, but it is indeed weird. People these days look over their shoulder to make sure they're doing what everyone else is doing. And the new thing is restaurants, medical offices, everything remodels to be able to be "instagramable", because proper trendy people don't care if the food is good or the medicine well practiced, they want to post Instagrams that they were at a place worth being seen.

Definitely doesn't work on me but seens to work on most of vain, superficial, insecure humanity which is more concerned about how they're externally perceived than what they actually like.

I know, is depressing, and I don't understand it either. Which is probably why we're on an Xbox forum 😂

@NEStalgia It seems that vanity has taken priority over everything else for some reason. It really confuses me sometimes, because in a lot of cases vanity serves no function but it ends up replacing function.