Released on October 25, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has become the largest launch in the franchise’s history, with unit sales on PlayStation and Steam rising over 60% year-over-year compared to Modern Warfare 3. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced this during the company’s first-quarter earnings call for FY 2025, highlighting that the game set a record for day one players and significantly contributed to Xbox Game Pass subscriber additions.
The launch marks a first for the series, as Black Ops 6 was made available on Game Pass at launch, setting a record for day one subscriber growth on the service. Nadella noted that this strategy helps meet gamers where they are, potentially adding up to 4 million new Game Pass members.
However, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood provided a tempered outlook, predicting a high single-digit decline in gaming revenue overall, primarily due to hardware sales issues. She explained that revenue from Black Ops 6 would be recognized over time because of its availability on Game Pass and its requirement for an online connection for play.
In terms of player engagement, the game has achieved significant numbers, with the Call of Duty app peaking at over 300,000 concurrent players on Steam since launch, with over 102,000 players currently in-game at the time of reporting. Activision confirmed that Black Ops 6 set new records for total players, hours played, and total matches during its opening weekend.
