In light of Microsoft’s recent successful acquisition of Activision Blizzard for a staggering $69 billion, there’s been quite a buzz about the possibility of their games making their way to Xbox Game Pass. However, it seems like eager Xbox fans will need to exercise some patience. According to a recent announcement on an official Xbox podcast (as reported by The Verge), Xbox’s head honcho, Phil Spencer, has made it clear that Activision Blizzard games won’t be gracing Game Pass until 2024.
In the podcast, Spencer pointed out that the prolonged regulatory process leading up to the merger significantly delayed any plans for incorporating Activision Blizzard’s gaming catalog into Game Pass. He stated, “The regulatory process took so long… that we weren’t able to get in and work with Activision Blizzard on that back catalog work.” Spencer emphasized that work is now underway, but it’s a process, and he confirmed the 2024 timeline, which was echoed by Activision’s official Twitter account.
Before the merger was finalized, Activision had made it clear that there were no immediate plans to bring titles like Diablo IV or the upcoming Modern Warfare III to Xbox Game Pass in the current year. However, they did express their intent to collaborate with Xbox after the merger’s completion. They stated, “we expect to start working with Xbox to bring our titles to more players around the world. And we anticipate that we would begin adding games into Game Pass sometime in the course of next year.”
Spencer acknowledged the “disappointment” that many gamers might be feeling but stressed Microsoft’s unwavering commitment to Game Pass. He emphasized the long-term nature of this acquisition and assured gamers, saying, “This acquisition is definitely long-term, so the fact that we’re not hitting day one with a bunch of games dropping into Game Pass is a little bit of a downer, but I’m very excited about the future. And I just want to be straight with people that that’s where we are.”
It’s understandable that fans are eager to see Activision Blizzard games on Game Pass, especially given Microsoft’s rapid integration of 20 Bethesda games into the service shortly after acquiring the studio in 2021. While the exact date in 2024 hasn’t been specified, Xbox Game Pass subscribers are undoubtedly counting down the days until they can get their hands on these highly anticipated titles from one of the gaming industry’s giants.
