It is no small secret thatCall of Duty: Black Ops 6is proving to be one of the most popular games of the year. It’s doing tremendously well in terms of sales and critical reception, which is a refreshing return to form for the franchise. After 2023’sMW3controversy, it’s great to see passion poured back intoCall of Dutyagain and see it back on track.
However, it’s not all perfect, as whileBlack Ops 6is doing better thanMW3in terms of player count, its sales are actually down.It’s also selling far better on PlayStationthan it is on Xbox. Of course,CODas a franchise is still as strong as ever, even despiteBlack Ops 6’sissues, but the decrease in sales is worrying for other Xbox titles, especially the single-player exclusives.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Is Selling Better On PS5 Than Xbox
75% Of Full-Priced Sales Were On PS5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6is selling significantly better on PlayStation than it is on Xbox and PC.75% ofBlack Ops 6’sfull-price sales were on PlayStation 4 and 5, with just 15% being on PC and under 11% on Xbox, according togamesindustry.biz. This isn’t particularly surprising, considering thatCODhas typically sold best on PlayStation. In fact, premium sales were up 24% on PlayStation year-on-year compared toModern Warfare 3, meaning that, despite the Activision Blizzard buyout, it’s still selling incredibly well on Sony’s hardware.
Xbox, on the other hand, is a different story. In terms of full-price sales,Black Ops 6sold 11% less in full-price sales thanMW3did, largely thanks to the game’s inclusion on Game Pass. In fact, it seems like being on Game Pass has hurt the overall sales numbers on Xbox, considering it’s substantially lower than any other platform. This isn’t particularly surprising, as players could try it for free on day one. Of course, it’s worth noting thatBlack Ops 6is more popularthan the previous twoCODgames, surpassing them in terms of player count.
Microsoft increased the cost of Xbox Game Pass prior to the launch ofBlack Ops 6. While it hasn’t been officially stated that this is the reason, it’s not hard to imagine that it was to account forBlack Ops 6performing better on Game Pass, where it is free, rather than in full-price sales on Xbox.
So,it’s clear that, despite full-price sales slipping,Black Ops 6is doing well. This is largely helped by the fact that it has one of thebestCODcampaignsin recent memory, as well as that reviews painted it as a return to form. Naturally, this enticed fans to check it out, whether by purchasing a copy, or, more likely, for free on Game Pass. Of course,Black Ops 6had somefierce competition in November, which also likely contributed to its decline in sales, although nothing substantial enough that it was dethroned in the charts.
Why Black Ops 6’s Better Split Screen Integration Made It My First CoD Game
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the first time I’ve ever played a Call of Duty game, and it’s all thanks to the game’s split screen feature.
Regardless,Call of Duty: Black Ops 6will continue to make money, even if players are trying it for free via Game Pass. It’s a live service title, which means that it’ll generate revenue for a long time through microtransactions.Black Ops 6’sSeasonswill add new content to the game all the time, ensuring that fans have a steady stream of skins to pay for. However,not all of Xbox’s games have that kind of longevity or revenue, so lower full-price sales isn’t really an option. One such title is the single-player narrative-focusedIndiana Jones and the Great Circle.
It Was The Right Call To Put Indiana Jones And The Great Circle On PS5
It Will Likely Sell Better There
Indiana Jones and the Great Circlewas initially announced as an Xbox console exclusive and that it would skip PlayStation completely. As it is being developed by MachineGames, a subsidiary of ZeniMax - which was bought by Microsoft in 2021 - it would have made perfect sense for it to remain an Xbox exclusive. However,Indiana Jones and the Great Circlewasannounced for PS5during Gamescom Opening Night Live, with a release date of Spring 2025, just shortly after the Xbox and PC versions launch in December 2024.
Naturally, PlayStation fans were overjoyed by this announcement, especially considering the developer’s pedigree and the fact that it’s a well-known and beloved IP. However,this did mean that one of the few genuine Xbox exclusives was no longer going to be exclusive, taking away yet another of the few reasons to buy an Xbox over a PlayStation 5. This is especially difficult to stomach asIndiana Jones and the Great Circleis gettingextremely positive previewsthat praise its cinematic gameplay and intuitive mechanics.
However, while it may not be great for those on Xbox, it is the smartest move from a purely financial point of view. Of course,Call of Dutyhas traditionally sold best on PlayStation, butthe sales numbers forBlack Ops 6paint a fairly underwhelming picture for purely Xbox exclusives. It is clear that, at least on consoles, players are predominantly on PlayStation. This is further evidenced by the fact that thePlayStation is outselling Xboxand by Phil Spencer’s constant remarks on what may come to PS5.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circlecould struggle financially if it remained exclusively on Xbox, even despite the announced upcoming DLC.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circlecould struggle financially if it remained exclusively on Xbox, even despite theannounced upcoming DLC.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6can likely afford to take a dip in full-price sales as it will make it up in microtransaction sales. However,Indiana Jones and the Great Circledoes not have that same luxury, and thus coming to PlayStation 5, even if it’s at a later date, will ensure its sales are bolstered significantly. That is why it’s no surprise that plenty of other Xbox exclusives are being considered for PlayStation.
Future Xbox Exclusives Are Likely To Come To PS5
There’s No Red Line According To Phil Spencer
In an interview withBloomberg, Microsoft Gaming CEOPhil Spencer reiterated once again that there is no “red line” when it comes to games that could be ported to PlayStation. While fans once felt reassured that at least the likes ofHalo,Forza, andGears of Warwould remain exclusive to Xbox, Spencer has made it clear that he “do[es] not see [a] sort of red line in our portfolio that say[s] ‘thou must not'.”
This interview came just a few days before the release of the “This Is an Xbox"promotional video, which showcased how everything from an Xbox Series X to a mobile phone can be used as an Xbox. The promotional video doesn’t really sell anything beyond the fact that multiple devices can play Xbox games, a strategy Microsoft has been pushing for quite some time. Microsoft’s messaging is clear:Xbox is no longer tied to just a single platform, like its competitors.
Instead,it feels like Xbox is shifting to become exclusively a publisher, purchasing a number of high-profile first-party developers and then generating income from porting their games to as many platforms as possible. That’s not an inherently bad strategy, especially considering the staggering difference in console sales between PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, it’s just different. However, it does feel like there could be many moreXbox exclusives coming to PS5, including evenHalo. Many suspected that its switch to UE5 was evidence of this, and it’s possible that Spencer’s words were further hinting at it.
Xbox Handheld Confirmed By Phil Spencer, But Don’t Expect To Get Your Hands On It Anytime Soon
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer revealed today that Xbox is looking to break into the handheld space, but its final product could be years away.
WhetherCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’sdwindling Xbox full-price sales had any impact on Spencer’s words or not, it does feel like the industry is experiencing a major shift. The traditional model no longer seems to be the norm, and Microsoft is clearly adapting. However, this should be seen as a positive change, as sharing games between all platforms benefits everyone. There’s something refreshing about the end of the console wars, and people on both Xbox and PlayStation getting to enjoy huge triple-A titles likeCall of Duty: Black Ops 6andIndiana Jones and the Great Circle.
