Activision Blizzard’s hit series like Call of Duty, Diablo, and Overwatch will come to Xbox Game Pass in the future, Microsoft confirmed this week. That much was expected given Microsoft’s acquisition of the massive publisher and considering how every other Microsoft-owned studio has operated, but this week, Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed as much in a post penned to outline Microsoft’s “view on the Activision Blizzard acquisition.” This post comes amid the ongoing scrutiny towards Microsoft’s deal as it’s investigated by various regulators such as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority which coincidently just shared an update on its investigation on Thursday as well.
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Spencer’s post on the Microsoft site opened by touting some of the principals and products Xbox invests heavily into like “giving players choice in how they play their games” as well as Xbox Game Pass, a service which Xbox has attested goes hand-in-hand with that ideal. A few paragraphs into the post, Spencer confirmed Microsoft’s intentions to make Activision Blizzard’s big series referenced previously available through Xbox Game Pass.
“We intend to make Activision Blizzard’s much-loved library of games – including Overwatch, Diablo and Call of Duty – available in Game Pass and to grow those gaming communities,” Spencer said. “By delivering even more value to players, we hope to continue growing Game Pass, extending its appeal to mobile phones and any connected device.”
The Call of Duty games are naturally premium titles and are about as AAA as a game can get, so news that they’ll be available through Xbox Game Pass should be a welcome confirmation for subscribers even if it was already expected. The same goes for the Diablo games which, aside from Diablo Immortal, have all been paid games, too. Overwatch is a bit of an exception in that it was a paid game with Overwatch 2 instead being free-to-play and set to replace the current live service when it launches in October, but it’ll apparently be included in Xbox Game Pass regardless.
While Spencer did not mention specifically the UK’s CMA, he said Microsoft “will continue to engage with regulators with a spirit of transparency and openness as they review this acquisition.” This is perhaps in response to not only the investigations at large but particularly the decision reached by the CMA this week that this acquisition may result in a “substantial lessening of competition within a market or markets in the United Kingdom.” As such, a more in-depth investigation is to follow.
Spencer closed out the post in part by calling the gaming industry “robust and dynamic” while pointing out that Microsoft is not alone in its acquisition efforts and that companies like Tencent and Sony are very much involved in similar practices.
