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Director says Game Pass helped with big launch

Harry November 7, 2024

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launch called the series’ biggest yet

Activision-Blizzard Screenshot shows a man in a leather jacket and glasses on a motorcycle hovering over a parked police car. On the ground, two police officers with guns in their hands raise their weapons and look at the bicycle hovering above them. In the background, a white-facade building can be seen with two large American flags hanging inside the large arches. — Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launch called the series’ biggest yet

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s director believes returning players may have contributed to what is being called the series’ biggest launch yet.

Microsoft, which now owns publisher Activision-Blizzard, recently said that the latest installment in the massive shooter franchise has set new records for first-day players and Game Pass subscriptions.

This was the first Call of Duty game to be released on the service since it acquired Activision-Blizzard in a $69bn (£59bn at the time) deal.

Developer Treyarch’s Miles Leslie told BBC Newsbeat he thought the new setup had played a part in the increase in numbers.

Similar to Netflix, Game Pass allows members to download games on Xbox and PC for a monthly fee.

Miles says this gives Call of Duty developers “another way to actually get the game into players’ hands.”

“What we’re seeing is that people who had some disagreements, who said, ‘I haven’t played in a while,’ are being allowed to come back and try the game,” he tells Newsbeat.

The latest version also leans into nostalgia, with tweaks to Zombies, one of Call of Duty’s most beloved modes, and an update to fan-favorite multiplayer map Nuketown.

“We’ve gotten to the point now where Black Ops and Call of Duty have been around for so long; I’ve been working on this for 16 years,” Miles says.

“And the challenge for us is how do you bring together fans who love Call of Duty, but create an environment where you can welcome new fans?”

Big Game Pass test

Black Ops 6 was seen as a test of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision, and company boss Satya Nadelal said the game broke a record for new subscribers on launch day, though he did not say exactly how many.

He also said that sales on Steam, the PlayStation and PC platform where Call of Duty’s largest audience plays, are 60% higher than in 2023.

This may be linked to the less positive reception of last year’s Modern Warfare III, with the Black Ops episodes being among the most popular in the series.

The real proof of its success will be whether people who sign up to play Black Ops 6 stay in the game.

For a game like Black Ops 6, which constantly receives new multiplayer content updates between each release, Miles says it’s up to the developers to keep players engaged.

This means keeping a close eye on how old players and new players are progressing.

“The important thing is, are they having fun? Where are the friction points? That’s what we analyze,” he says.

“You never know how it will be received until it gets into the hands of millions of gamers.

“It came out and it was really positive.

“Of course there are things we can improve on, and we have our finger on the pulse of the community so we can hear those things, analyze them, and really attack and fix them in the right way.”