Microsoft's 'Call of Duty

‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’ is a special edition that just hit stores. If we include ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’, it’s Activision’s 21st franchise game and the seventh in the ‘Black-Ops’ subseries. But it’s also the first published after Microsoft bought Activision.

More debuts. That first time leads to many “firsts.” First time development has taken so long: Treyarch and Raven Software spent four years on the game. Microsoft has announced that the game will no longer have exclusive content, even for Xbox, for the first time in many years, having abandoned partial exclusivity deals with Sony (perhaps to avoid the impression that Microsoft is taking over the franchise). The content will be available on all formats immediately.

Call of Duty mission. The ‘Call of Duty’ franchise was crucial to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision. Even with successful Activision properties like ‘Overwatch‘, ‘World of Warcraft’, and ‘Diablo’, its multi-million dollar sales benefit the company. Despite their fame, these have less impact than ‘Call of Duty’, which will carry much of Microsoft’s future digital plans.

Pass-Game Engine. First and foremost, the new ‘Call of Duty’ aims to push Game Pass users, which numbered 34 million in February 2024. Their business is on their subscription platform, fueled by powerful new releases like ‘COD’, unlike Sony and Nintendo, which are beating Microsoft in console sales. Microsoft’s announcement that x million new Game Pass users have chosen to play Activision’s game from day one may reveal the game’s impact. Company plans include everything.

Getting noticed. That move shows that Microsoft’s priority is attracting new players to its ecosystem, not selling as many copies as its predecessors (though it’ll be interesting to see how the game’s arrival on Game Pass affects sales — we’ve never been able to use a franchise as a barometer of how Game Pass affects Xbox game sales). Tyler Bahl, the game’s director of marketing, told Variety, “Obviously we want to drive sales, but I think in general we want to get the word out that there’s a new game.”

Knowledge empowers. How does Bahl define that? He says, “There are hard metrics, but for me the real test is when we enter the cultural zeitgeist.” Microsoft cares about sales and Game Pass, but it wants to become more relevant and stop being Sony and Nintendo’s third wheel. Microsoft’s Activision purchase is its last chance to become a true player in the console war, which is more crowded and tumultuous than ever due to the industry crisis. Call of Duty may be a blockbuster and Microsoft’s future v.

Microsoft’s flagship franchise, Call of Duty, delivered what it needed and hints at its future games business.

Microsoft’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launch was a huge success. On the company’s earnings call this week, CEO Satya Nadella was effusive about the launch despite the lack of precise numbers.

We know it broke the series’ day one player records, drove Game Pass subscribers to a new high, and saw a 60% increase in Steam and PlayStation unit sales over Modern Warfare 3.

Microsoft needed this launch to go well for internal reasons, not for any console war narrative.

Microsoft’s games division’s biggest challenge now and in the future is justifying the massive purchase of Activision Blizzard by showing how it will benefit the company’s growth and bottom line.

Activision Blizzard’s most valuable franchise, Call of Duty, needed to show how it fit into Xbox’s strategy, which is increasingly focused on Game Pass, and deliver the expected revenue boost.

It seems to have worked well so far. Naturally, Black Ops 6’s high reception helps it stand out from last year’s Modern Warfare 3.

Starting the Microsoft/Game Pass era for the franchise on such a high note is a gift to the company and helps it make the point that Call of Duty is big and successful enough to drive Game Pass growth without cannibalizing sales and profits on Steam and PlayStation.

Microsoft’s ‘Call of Duty

By knl9j

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