Xbox Cloud Gaming to stream Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6, Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone-GameCentral-Entertainment – Metro

The sign of things to come (Microsoft)

The three most recent Call Of Duty games are all going to be available to stream via Xbox Cloud Gaming, with Black Ops 6 available from day one.

Over the last 12 months it’s become clear that Xbox’s console business is in dire straits. Sales have been steadily plummeting since last Christmas and Microsoft has essentially admitted defeat this generation, by starting to release some of its games on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.

Although a next generation Xbox has been announced, there are reports that Microsoft is already giving up selling the Xbox Series X/S in the Middle East and parts of Europe, where the brand has never been popular.

This would be an utter disaster for Sony or Nintendo but for a company the size of Microsoft it’s not necessarily the end of Xbox at all. In fact, it may end up merely hastening the start of a new era, based on cloud gaming that doesn’t need a console – which is exactly the future that is being hinted at with this new Call Of Duty announcement.

The release date of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is Friday, October 25 and from day one the game, along with last year’s Modern Warfare 3 and the free-to-play Warzone, will be available via cloud gaming to stream on almost any device that you can connect a controller to.

Compatible devices include PCs, mobile devices (including Steam Deck and its many imitators), select Samsung TVs, Amazon Fire TV, and Meta Quest VR headsets. The Switch and PlayStation 5 are not listed, but the less Xbox is perceived as a direct rival the more likely that becomes.

The only catch is that you need to be a Game Pass Ultimate member to stream the games via the cloud, which costs £14.99 a month.

On top of that, there’s the intractable problem that playing via the cloud requires a fast and stable Wi-Fi connection, and if you haven’t got that then you’re not going to have much fun.

That is the fundamental problem that Microsoft has to deal with, especially as it means people in less built-up areas are less likely to be able to use it comfortably than those in large cities.

There’s nothing anyone can do about that until Wi-Fi technology and coverage improves, although you’d be surprised what some people are willing to put up with in terms of performance – even in a multiplayer game.

If you’re a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, there’s information about how to get Modern Warfare 3 up and running here, which will no doubt be updated further on October 25.

Although Microsoft owns the whole of Activision Blizzard, and all their many games, very few of them have so far made it to Game Pass.

It was at first assumed that all of the Call Of Duty games would quickly become available but that’s proved not to be the case.

One possible reason is that Microsoft doesn’t want to split the audience between multiple different Call Of Duty games, when they’d much prefer they just be playing the last one or two, plus Warzone.

However, the technicalities of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard may also be a factor, especially in the UK where Microsoft was forced to sell its cloud gaming business to Ubisoft, in order for it to be run here.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 – a very important game for Xbox (Activision)

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