Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 made a monumental debut on October 25, setting new records for the franchise. The game achieved the highest number of players, hours played, and matches during its opening weekend, marking the biggest three-day launch in the series' history.

During a recent earnings call, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed that Black Ops 6's launch on October 25 also set a record for new Game Pass subscriber additions on its first day, although specific figures were not disclosed. Nadella further noted that sales of Black Ops 6 on PlayStation and Steam were up by over 60% compared to 2023's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.

Modern Warfare III was the second best-selling game in the US in 2023, just behind Hogwarts Legacy. It remains to be seen how Black Ops 6 will fare in terms of unit sales, though direct comparisons may be skewed due to the game's availability on Game Pass, where many players may access it without purchasing the full game.

Prior to its release, high expectations were placed on Black Ops 6. The Black Ops brand is immensely popular, and its launch into Game Pass, a move that has been widely discussed, appears to have paid off for Microsoft in the short term.

Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick previously expressed that he expected Call of Duty to boost Game Pass subscribers for Microsoft, but only temporarily. Zelnick believes that releasing a major game into a subscription service is a 'lost opportunity' for sales, reflecting his unique perspective as a third-party publisher, which may differ from Microsoft's business goals.

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter estimated that Microsoft could lose up to six million sales by including Black Ops 6 in Game Pass, suggesting that 25% of existing Game Pass subscribers would have bought the game outright. Conversely, Pachter also predicted that Black Ops 6 could attract up to four million new Game Pass subscribers.

This week, Black Ops 6 expands with the launch of the highly anticipated Nuketown multiplayer map on November 1. Following this, Black Ops 6 Season 1 kicks off on November 14, introducing Call of Duty: Warzone's latest map, Area 99. For more insights, you can read GameSpot's reviews of Black Ops 6's campaign and multiplayer modes.

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