It’s happening – Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one. Xbox has finally confirmed that, alongside the traditional method of straight-up purchasing the upcoming shooter, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to access it at no extra cost. The news follows weeks of speculation after it was reported Microsoft was considering going back on its promise to bring future CoD installments to its Netflix-style service.
Alongside confirmation of CoD Black Ops 6 coming to Xbox Game Pass, the latest Xbox Wire blog post promises an “in-depth look at gameplay” for the storied franchise’s newest FPS game – something I’m chomping at the bit to get my eyes on. As a further sweetener, developer Treyarch has aired a brand new live-action reveal trailer called ‘The Truth Lies,’ featuring prominent political figures Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, and Saddam Hussein – the latter broadly expected to be Black Ops 6’s major antagonist.
You can check out the trailer below.
Today’s big reveal was unceremoniously spoiled this morning when an Xbox Game Pass push notification pipped it to the post. Though the original screenshot that circulated on social media was met with a tinge of suspicion, its veracity was swiftly confirmed by journalists Jez Corden and Tom Warren – the latter of whom called the exact timing the Xbox Wire article would go live. This isn’t the first we’d heard about Black Ops 6 coming to the list of Xbox Game Pass games, however.
Fears over CoD’s Game Pass future were initially flagged earlier this month, as it was reported Microsoft bigwigs had gone cold on the idea of potentially sacrificing CoD’s billions to its flagship service. Fortunately, Xbox president Sarah Bond was quick to ease these concerns a day later. On May 17, the Wall Street Journal was the first to report that Black Ops 6 would shake off its current pricing structure and slip into something more comfortable – more comfortable if you’re a Game Pass subscriber, that is.
Though it’s still unclear if Xbox will up the price of Game Pass to see a bigger return on the clamoring for CoD, it certainly makes picking up a sub a more tantalizing proposition over shelling out $70 (or whatever it’ll be priced at à la carte) in one go.
Alongside Black Ops 6, all of the existing CoD installments are expected to debut on Game Pass at some point now that Microsoft owns the catalog. A current Xbox fire sale has slashed prices across the videogame series, as the publisher possibly looks to cash in as much as possible before a potential Xbox Showcase announcement on June 9 – that’s my sneaking suspicion, at least.
For more of the latest on what is expected to be one of the year’s best Xbox games (and best PS5 games), check out why Black Ops 6 needs to top the best Call of Duty campaign of the decade. To stay up to date on the latest CoD news, give our Google News feed a follow – there’ll be plenty more Black Ops 6 beats to come as we head towards Summer Games Fest and beyond.