Diablo 4's Xbox Game Pass Rumors Shot Down by Blizzard Boss

Is Diablo 4 ever going to be on Xbox Game Pass? That question came up a lot back when the game first released given how Microsoft was (and still is) working towards an acquisition of Activision Blizzard, At the time around the game's release, the answer to that question was a resounding "no" with people having to just buy the game outright if they wanted to play. Fast-forward around a month after the game's release and it looks like Diablo 4 still stands no chance of being added to Xbox Game Pass even if the rest of the acquisition goes through smoothly.

The latest discussions about Diablo 4's potential Xbox Game Pass arrival came from a retailer "leak" this week which looked to suggest that the new Diablo game would indeed be coming to Game Pass. PicPay, a Brazilian payment services app, included a promo for Diablo 4 that said people could buy it or play it with Game Pass.

Why PicPay would know about the Xbox Game Pass plans for Diablo 4 is anyone's guess, but we've seen things get spoiled early by platforms like Twitch and others that host ads in the past, so people were hopeful that this rumor would play out. Unfortunately for those who've been waiting on a chance to play the game for free, however, Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra said that's not going to be the case.

This is not happening.

— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) July 11, 2023

"This is not happening," Blizzard president Ybarra said in a reply to a tweet about the PicPay popup. 

That sounds pretty decisive, and one could even go as far as to say that it sounds like Ybarra's comments mean the game won't appear on Game pass at all even if the Activision deal goes through. None of the other Diablo game are on Xbox Game Pass, so there's not exactly a precedent to look to for this to happen in the future, but even if there was, it doesn't sound like Diablo fans or Xbox Game Pass subscribers should hold their breath for the game to come to the service.

If you're still on the fence about Diablo 4, you can check out our review here to see how the game feels compared to other Diablos.