Summary
- Microsoft removed $1 Xbox Game Pass trial option for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launch.
- Xbox Game Pass remains a great gaming deal but facing some recent backlash.
- Fans unhappy as Microsoft discontinues $1 trial, limiting access to Black Ops 6.
Microsoft has removed access to a potentially useful option from Xbox Game Pass less than two weeks before the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. The Xbox Game Pass subscription option might have given budget-conscious players a chance to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 for much less than its retail asking price.
Despite some unpopular changes to Xbox Game Pass in recent months, including a Game Pass price increase that attracted disapproval from government regulators, the service remains one of the best deals in gaming. For a relatively low monthly fee, players can enjoy a huge library of premium titles on a variety of platforms, including Xbox consoles, PCs, and on mobile via Xbox Cloud Gaming. Some of those titles include the biggest releases of the year, including the Call of Duty franchise, thanks to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision and other major players in the game publishing space.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 PC Requirements and Launch Times Revealed
Activision and Treyarch reveal the PC requirements and launch times for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 as the game's release day approaches.
Unfortunately, Microsoft appears to be making the deal even less appealing. According to a post by Call of Duty news account CharlieIntel, Microsoft quietly axed the option to pay just a dollar to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass on consoles for 14 days. That means that for new and lapsed members, only the Core, Standard, and Ultimate Xbox Game Pass subscription tiers are available, without a free or discounted trial option.
Xbox Game Pass $1 Subscription Deal Removed By Microsoft Ahead of Black Ops 6
The $1 Xbox Game Pass subscription option could have represented an incredible deal for players looking for a brief fling with the biggest new shooter of the year. One could, in theory, purchase the 14-day subscription, and before it expired, played through the Black Ops 6 campaign, and even enjoyed some multiplayer. Now, a player on Xbox consoles who wants to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at launch will have to pay its full, $70 USD purchase price or subscribe to the full Ultimate tier for $20 USD per month.
The move was met with swift disapproval online, as fans who were already unhappy with Xbox Game Pass price hikes and changes to their entitlements saw it as another "cash grab" from Microsoft. Other fans were more pragmatic, saying that the move made business sense for Microsoft, which likely wants to maximize revenue from Black Ops 6's launch period. A few others pointed out that the $1 subscription removal might not have affected things either way, as only Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers get access to day one releases. A $1 subscription period would likely have been only for the Standard tier, which would not have had access to Black Ops 6 on launch day.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 25, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- IW 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- FPS
