New rumors suggest that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 may feature collaborations with some of Xbox's most iconic franchises, including DOOM, Gears of War, and Halo. Although these reports have not been officially confirmed by Activision, the recent acquisition of the Call of Duty publisher by Microsoft's parent company, Xbox, makes such collaborations seem increasingly plausible.
Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard was completed in October 2023, bringing major franchises like Crash Bandicoot, Diablo, Spyro, Candy Crush, and Call of Duty under Xbox’s control. Following this, it was expected that Activision's games would start appearing on Xbox Game Pass, but now it seems crossovers with Xbox’s flagship games may be in the cards as well.
According to industry insiders and data miners, including COD Warfare, VondyIsPog, and Shpeshal_Nick, characters such as Doom Slayer, Master Chief, and Marcus Fenix were initially set to appear in Modern Warfare 3 but have now been pushed to Black Ops 6. This could mean new operator skins inspired by these franchises, as well as weapons from Halo, DOOM, and Gears of War potentially being introduced in the game.
Since Call of Duty became part of Xbox’s portfolio, the possibility of such collaborations has grown, especially after Modern Warfare 3 made its way to Game Pass in July 2023. Black Ops 6 is expected to follow suit, with reports indicating that the title has been well-received on the service.
While Call of Duty has previously collaborated with external properties like The Boys, Snoop Dogg, and Tomb Raider, the addition of Halo, DOOM, and Gears of War characters would be a significant move within the Xbox ecosystem. However, until confirmed by Activision, Treyarch, or Xbox, these rumors should be treated with caution.