Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Introduces Arachnophobia Mode and Accessibility Enhancements

With the October 25th launch of Black Ops 6 rapidly approaching, Activision has unveiled exciting new features. The game's Game Pass day-one release has also sparked analyst predictions regarding its impact on Xbox's subscription service.

Black Ops 6 Zombies: A New Arachnophobia-Friendly Option

Black Ops 6's Zombies mode receives a significant update with the addition of an arachnophobia toggle. This setting alters the visual appearance of spider-like enemies without altering gameplay mechanics.

The effect? Legless, seemingly floating spider zombies! While visually striking (and perhaps a little unsettling), the developers haven't detailed the impact on hitboxes. It's likely, however, that the hitbox will be adjusted to match the altered model.

Another welcome addition is the "Pause and Save" feature for solo players in Round-Based mode. This allows saving and reloading at full health, a game-changer for the challenging maps where death means restarting from the beginning.

Black Ops 6 and Xbox Game Pass: A Potential Subscriber Surge?

Industry analysts anticipate a significant boost to Xbox Game Pass subscriptions following Black Ops 6's day-one launch. This marks the first time a Call of Duty title will be available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass at launch.

While some worry about potential sales losses, analyst Michael Pachter predicts a three to four million subscriber increase. Piers Harding-Rolls offers a more conservative estimate of a 10% rise (approximately 2.5 million), suggesting many new subscribers may be existing users upgrading their plans.

Katan Games' Dr. Serkan Toto highlights the high stakes for Xbox. The success of Black Ops 6 on Game Pass is crucial for Microsoft's gaming division, given its recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the pressure to demonstrate the Game Pass model's viability.

For more in-depth coverage of Black Ops 6, including gameplay details and our review (spoiler alert: Zombies is fantastic!), check out the links below!