Call of Duty director says Game debut gives players new way in

The director of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 believes returning players might have contributed to what's been called the series' biggest-ever launch.

Microsoft, which now owns publisher Activision-Blizzard, recently said the latest instalment in the huge shooter franchise set new records for day-one players and its Game subscription.

It was the first Call of Duty title to be released on the service since it bought Activision-Blizzard in a $69bn (£59bn at the time) deal.

Miles Leslie, from developer Treyarch, tells BBC Newsbeat he thinks the new set-up played a part in boosting the numbers.

Game allows to titles on Xbox and PC for a monthly fee, similar to something like Netflix.

Miles says it gives Call of Duty's developers "another avenue to really get the game in the hands of players".

"What we've seen is it's allowed people that might have been on the fence, might have had some of that friction, might have been like, 'I haven't played in a while' to actually come back and try the game," he tells Newsbeat.

The latest release also leans into nostalgia with tweaks to Zombies - one of Call of Duty's best-loved modes - and an update of fan-favourite multiplayer map Nuketown.

"We've gotten to the point now where Black Ops and Call of Duty have been around so long - I've been working on it for 16 years," says Miles.

"And really the challenge for us is how do you bring along the fans that love Call of Duty, but how do you create an environment where you can welcome new fans in":[]}