Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella announced on Tuesday during the company’s first-quarter earnings call for FY 2025 that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has achieved record-breaking success, becoming the largest launch in the franchise’s history. The game, which debuted on October 25 across various platforms including PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X, saw a remarkable 60 percent increase in day one players compared to last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
Record-Breaking Launch for Call of Duty
The positive news about Black Ops 6’s launch was shared alongside Microsoft’s encouraging financial results, which featured a 14 percent year-over-year increase in operating income, bolstered by the company’s cloud services growth. Nadella highlighted that the release of Black Ops 6 on Xbox Game Pass set a new benchmark for subscriber growth on the platform from day one. “This aligns with our strategy to engage gamers by allowing them access to a broader range of games across multiple devices,” Nadella stated during the call.
Microsoft’s Chief Financial Officer, Amy Hood, also commented on the game’s launch dynamics. She pointed out, “There are two distinctions this year compared to the Call of Duty launch last year where revenue was primarily recognized at the time of purchase. Firstly, the game’s availability on Game Pass results in subscription revenue being recognized progressively. Secondly, since the game requires an online connection to play, revenue for standalone purchases will also be recognized over time.”
Despite the upbeat news surrounding Black Ops 6, Hood provided a more cautious outlook on Microsoft’s overall gaming division, indicating expectations of a high single-digit decline in gaming revenue, primarily due to hardware sales challenges. She added that the growth in Xbox content and services revenue is projected to remain relatively flat.
Black Ops 6 is notable for being the first title in the Call of Duty franchise to be available on Game Pass on launch day. Initial reports suggest a successful rollout across all platforms. Activision has revealed that the launch set new records for total players, hours played, and matches in the franchise’s history during its opening weekend.
On Steam, the game has garnered a substantial player base. Data from SteamDB indicates that the Call of Duty app, necessary to access Black Ops 6 content, recorded a peak of over 300,000 concurrent players since its release. As of the latest updates, more than 102,000 players were actively engaged in the game.
