In one of the biggest moves in gaming history, Microsoft announced that it's acquiring Activision Blizzard. The deal will cost Microsoft nearly $70 billion, and once (or rather, if) it completes the buyout in 2023, it will officially bring Activision Blizzard's divisions, subsidiaries and franchises into the Xbox family.
The future looks bright for Xbox, but many people are wondering what this means for gamers. Will Microsoft leave PlayStation and Nintendo fans in the dust by making Activision Blizzard games exclusive to Xbox? And will they be available on Game Pass?
Here's what we know so far.
Will Activision Blizzard Games Be Xbox Exclusives?
Activision Blizzard owns a lot of successful franchises, including Call of Duty, Diablo, Warcraft, Overwatch, Candy Crush, Tony Hawk, and Crash Bandicoot. It's currently unknown whether Microsoft plans to make these games system sellers for Xbox down the line now that it will be its new owner.
However, as Phil Spencer, the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, said in a Bloomberg interview:
"I'll just say to players out there who are playing Activision Blizzard games on Sony's platform: It's not our intent to pull communities away from that platform, and we remained committed to that."
Activision Blizzard games have a dedicated player base across multiple platforms, and Microsoft will want to leverage that to make the most revenue. So it's safe to say that PlayStation, and even Nintendo, players won't see Microsoft removing current Activision Blizzard games on these platforms. But it also seems highly unlikely that Microsoft will make blockbuster titles like Call of Duty completely exclusive to Xbox, considering this franchise alone made more than $3 billion in 2020.
However, Microsoft would still want to sell more Xbox consoles, meaning gamers can expect some level of exclusivity. This could come as full releases, timed exclusives, DLCs and other types of content. And until the last signature on the deal goes through, all multi-platform Activision Blizzard games announced or in development will most likely come to other platforms.
Will Activision Blizzard Games Come to Game Pass?
Game Pass is one of Xbox's biggest draws, offering players many good reasons to subscribe. With the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, fans of the service might wonder if any of the gaming giant's catalog of games will come to Game Pass.
That definitely seems to be the case, judging by what Phil Spencer wrote in an Xbox Wire article. He said:
"Upon close, we will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both new titles and games from Activision Blizzard's incredible catalog. We also announced today that Game Pass now has more than 25 million subscribers. As always, we look forward to continuing to add more value and more great games to Game Pass."
Once Microsoft makes these games available on Game Pass, subscribers with an Ultimate membership can stream them through xCloud using their mobile devices and laptops. This will most likely make the subscription service more popular, considering that people won't have to invest in an Xbox console or an expensive PC rig to play something like the latest Call of Duty. And it looks like Microsoft will take advantage of this, as Phil Spencer stated:
"Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms and we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward."
Activision Blizzard Is Now Team Xbox
With Activision Blizzard joining the Xbox family, Microsoft will effectively expand its gaming offerings. And for the time being, PlayStation and Nintendo fans don't have to worry about Microsoft making Activision games entirely exclusive to Xbox.
Furthermore, gamers can look forward to having these games on Game Pass, with newer titles even being day one releases.