Microsoft confirmed this week that Activision Blizzard game series such as Call of Duty, Diablo and Overwatch will be coming to Xbox Game Pass in the future. This was to be expected given Microsoft’s massive acquisition of the publisher and consideration of how every other Microsoft-owned studio operates, but this week, Xbox head Phil Spencer confirmed it in a post written to explain “Microsoft’s view on the Activision Blizzard acquisition.” This post comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the Microsoft deal as it is being investigated by several regulators such as the UK Competition and Markets Authority which just shared an update on its investigation Thursday as well.
Spencer’s post on Microsoft’s site opened by promoting some of the principles and products that Xbox is investing heavily in such as “giving gamers a choice in how they play their games” as well as Xbox Game Pass, a service that Xbox confirmed goes hand in hand with this example. A few paragraphs later in the post, Spencer confirmed Microsoft’s intentions to make the aforementioned large Activision Blizzard series previously available through Xbox Game Pass.
“We intend to make our library of beloved Activision Blizzard games – including Overwatch, Diablo and Call of Duty – available on Game Pass and to grow these gaming communities,” Spencer said. “By bringing more value to players, we hope to continue to develop Game Pass, and expand its appeal to mobile phones and any connected device.”
Call of Duty games are naturally excellent titles and are as close as you can get to a AAA game, so the news that they’ll be available through Xbox Game Pass should be a welcome confirmation for subscribers even if that’s already expected. The same goes for Diablo games which, apart from Immortal DiabloAll games are paid too. Note and watch A little exception in that it was a paid game Monitor 2 Instead, it’s free-to-play and set to replace the current live service when it launches in October, but it looks like it’ll be included in Xbox Game Pass regardless.
While Spencer did not specifically mention the CMA, he said Microsoft would “continue to engage with regulators in a spirit of transparency and openness as they review the acquisition”. Perhaps this is a response not only to investigations in general but in particular The decision reached by the Capital Market Authority This week this acquisition could lead to a “significant reduction in competition within the UK market or markets”. As such, a more in-depth investigation is required.
Spencer closed the post in part by describing the gaming industry as “strong and dynamic” while noting that Microsoft isn’t alone in its acquisition efforts and that companies like Tencent and Sony frequently engage in similar practices.
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