Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched into Xbox Game Pass, and many questioned how that decision might affect the game’s sales. Now, that picture is coming into focus, albeit only somewhat.
Circana analyst Mat Piscatella shared some key datapoints today that speak to the effect of Black Ops 6 launching on Game Pass in the US. He said it led to a “subscription spending boost,” as people opted to buy a Game Pass subscription instead of purchasing the game outright. Before this, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Black Ops 6’s launch on Game Pass drove the biggest single-day sign-ups for a new Game Pass launch of all time.
Piscatella added that Microsoft’s decision to launch Black Ops 6 on Game Pass “shifted” the share of full-game sales to PlayStation. While Black Ops 6 might have helped Xbox become the most popular Call of Duty platform in a decade, for full-game sales, PlayStation remains on top (again, at least in the US, according to Circana).