Microsoft boss Satya Nadella has hailed the recent Black Ops 6 launch as the “biggest Call of Duty release ever”, stating that it broke records for “Game Pass subscriber adds on launch day.”
The success of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was revealed during Microsoft’s Q1 FY2025 financial earnings report, where significant gains in gaming revenue were reported, up 43 percent year-over-year. This was accompanied by a 61 percent year-on-year increase in Xbox content and services revenue, largely attributed to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. However, Xbox hardware revenue continued to decline by 29 percent year-over-year.
The acquisition of Activision Blizzard also brought positive news for investors, especially with the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Despite a 10 percent decrease in physical sales compared to Modern Warfare 3 in the UK, likely due to its availability on Game Pass, Satya Nadella praised the launch during an earnings call, calling it the “biggest Call of Duty release ever”.
While specific figures were not shared, Nadella mentioned that Black Ops 6’s launch set a record for day one players and Game Pass subscriber adds. This milestone is significant as it follows Bethesda’s Starfield which also saw a record number of Game Pass subscriptions added on a single day. The success of Black Ops 6 will be crucial for Microsoft’s subscription service strategy following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Nadella also highlighted that Black Ops 6 attracted the highest number of opening weekend PC players in the franchise’s history and reported a 60 percent increase in unit sales on PlayStation and Steam compared to the previous year. Developer Treyarch echoed these accomplishments, adding that Black Ops 6 had the highest number of total players, hours played, and total matches played during a three-day opening weekend in Call of Duty’s history.
Reviews for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 have been generally positive, with Eurogamer’s Chris Tapsell describing the campaign as “nonsensical, but surprisingly intimate”. He praised the game for its mix of action, horror twists, and charm. The verdict on Black Ops 6’s multiplayer component is yet to be determined.
