Despite the recent merger between Microsoft and gaming juggernaut Activision Blizzard, some of the company’s top games will not appear on Xbox Game Pass until next year.
In a recent episode of the official Xbox podcast, CEO Phil Spencer opened up about the merger and what it means for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, many of whom hope to see titles like Diablo IV and the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III added to the service following the acquisition. According to Spencer, regulation policies and the final hurdles of the acquisition are preventing either Activision Blizzard or Microsoft from releasing their newest games on Game Pass, though he assures fans that they will come in the near future.
The official Activision Blizzard X account made a post elaborating on the situation, revealing plans to work with Xbox to bring the titles to Game Pass after the deal fully closes by next year. It did not show which franchises may see a release on the platform, although now that it’s a subsidiary of Microsoft, the company will have access to its full range of franchises, from Call of Duty and Overwatch to Warcraft and Diablo.
After a year of legal hurdles and holdups due to concerns from the Federal Trade Commission about the acquisition allegedly jeopardizing competition in the industry, Microsoft finalized a deal totaling over $69 billion to purchase the company outright after striking a deal with PlayStation to ensure continued release of Call of Duty titles on the console. With this and the company’s 2021 purchase of Elder Scrolls and Fallout developer Bethesda, Microsoft took the third-place spot in the largest gaming companies in the world, right behind Sony and Tencent.
Following the Bethesda acquisition, which cost Microsoft a reported $7.5 billion, the majority of the developer’s major titles made their way to Game Pass in just a matter of days. Its then-upcoming flagship title, Starfield, quickly became an Xbox console exclusive. Considering how quickly Microsoft added Bethesda’s games to the service following that deal, many fans expressed disappointment that the same would not be true for the Activision Blizzard merger, which cost the company nearly 10 times more.
Microsoft’s Game Pass is a monthly subscription service allowing Xbox or PC users to pay a monthly fee for access to thousands of video games available for download without the need to pay full price for them. The subscription has two tiers — a monthly $10 option that provides access to a select roster of video games, and a $17 ultimate tier that unlocks the pass’s full library of games and day-one releases.
Source: X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube
