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Michael Pachter: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Could Add 3M to 4M New Game Pass Subscribers

Michael Pachter: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Could Add 3M to 4M New Game Pass Subscribers - News

by William D'Angelo , posted on 02 November 2024 / 3,295 Views

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter speaking with GamesIndustry said that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 being a day one release on Xbox Game Pass could add three and four million new subscribers to the service.

He did add that the Call of Duty franchise being on Xbox Game Pass could lead to six million fewer copies sold with the belief that around 25 percent of subscribers may have purchased the game.

"Good overall for Microsoft and for consumers," said Pachter. "But the headline will say 'Call of Duty sales are down.'"

Ampere's chief games analyst Piers Harding-Rolls also told GamesIndustry that he thinks Call of Duty on Xbox Game Pass will increase the number of subscribers by 10 percent and it will result in people upgrading from Game Pass Core and Game Pass Standard to Game Pass Ultimate.

"The removal of the 14-day $1 trial offer is an indication that Microsoft needs to maximise its subscription revenue returns from the introduction of one of gaming's biggest franchises at launch," said Harding-Rolls.

"There is no doubt that adding the latest Call of Duty will be expensive, at least initially, for Microsoft. However, Call of Duty is increasingly a live-service game first and foremost that monetises strongly in-game. Microsoft will be trading premium full-game sales in exchange for a bigger audience that can be monetised in-game instead.

"One of the key questions is how this might impact how the game is monetised and whether there is a bigger onus on in-game monetisation compared to previous entries in the franchise. In terms of audience expansion, Xbox and PC are likely to be key growth platforms. Cloud support at launch offers some potential, but I think the Call of Duty streaming opportunity aligns most strongly with playing on TV screens and PC monitors rather than on mobile devices where Call of Duty Mobile and Warzone are already popular."


A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.


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13 Comments
2zosteven (on 25 October 2024)

so no clue how many

  • +5
UnderwaterFunktown (on 24 October 2024)

I kind of doubt it would add that much on its own, but it is Patcher so that checks out.

  • +2
Giggity_goo (on 24 October 2024)

im waiting on the 360 versions to hit gamepass not interested in these 300GB ones

  • +1
KratosLives (on 25 October 2024)

Haven't heard from him in 10 years. Guy is was

  • 0
HopeMillsHorror (on 24 October 2024)

Blows my mind that MS hasn't been releasing an old COD every month since the acquisition...
Start with COD Classic 1-3

  • 0
The Fury (on 24 October 2024)

Well, yeah but then also lose a few million a month later.

  • 0
jvmkdg (on 24 October 2024)

It is impressive that the market value of actvision was as great as that of nintendo. Microsoft today is the largest gaming company in the world

  • 0
method114 jvmkdg (on 24 October 2024)

What makes MS the largest gaming company in the world? What measurement are you using?

  • +1
firebush03 method114 (on 25 October 2024)

I mean…they kinda are lol. Microsoft is the largest corporation in human history, whether that’s good or bad is up to your interpretation. They’ve merged with massive studios such as Bethesda and Activision, so yeah, they are technically the “biggest” from the perspective of net worth. That’s not to say they’re the best, however.

  • 0
method114 firebush03 (on 25 October 2024)

I guess if you include all of MS then yea. If you just include their gaming division they are still smaller than Sony and Tencent.

  • 0
KrspaceT (on 24 October 2024)

Patcher is still around? Haven't heard of him in ages.

  • 0
Doctor_MG (on 24 October 2024)

Don't think that's enough to make up for the lost sales tbh

But it's also Michael Pachter so now I'm wondering if he is completely wrong and it'll increase it by substantially more or less lol

  • -1
JRPGfan (on 24 October 2024)

"Microsoft will be trading premium full-game sales in exchange for a bigger audience that can be monetised in-game instead." ei. the future of Call of Duty is much more microtransactions added and packed in.

"...and whether there is a bigger onus on in-game monetisation compared to previous entries in the franchise." That sounds alot like hes saying MS should consider pay to win elements, or ones that "skirt" that area. Really incentivise people to buy stuff.

  • -3