Activision-Blizzard Archives

The gaming community has been buzzing with questions regarding the conspicuous absence of Activision-Blizzard games from Xbox's Game Pass. This comes after Xbox's recent acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. To address these questions, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, made an appearance on the Official Xbox Podcast. In this article, we will delve into the details of what Spencer revealed about why Activision games like Call of Duty and Diablo have not yet been added to Game Pass. Previous Expectations: The Zenimax Case When Xbox acquired Zenimax, there was a significant inclusion of Bethesda games on the Game Pass platform. This rapid integration led to the expectation that a similar course of action would be taken following the Activision-Blizzard acquisition. In fact, twenty Bethesda games were added to Game Pass just days after the Zenimax deal was finalized, including some of the company’s largest franchises. Given this precedent, many people have been left puzzled about the current situation. Regulatory Hurdles: The Complexity of the Deal According to Phil Spencer, the difference in the Activision-Blizzard case is primarily due to the regulatory complexities involved in the acquisition. The deal was fraught with legal and regulatory battles that spanned over a year and involved multiple countries. The regulatory process for the Activision-Blizzard acquisition took so long that Spencer and his team could not begin to work on adding Activision-Blizzard games to Game Pass until very recently. Specific Issues with Activision-Blizzard Catalog Spencer revealed that the uncertainty surrounding the regulatory process persisted up to a week before the deal was finalized. This severely limited Xbox’s ability to work closely with Activision-Blizzard on preparing their back catalog for integration into Game Pass. Unlike the Zenimax acquisition, the extended period of uncertainty made it challenging to plan for an immediate rollout of games. Future Plans: What to Expect While Spencer acknowledged that the absence of an immediate drop was a disappointment for many fans, he reassured that work has started on this front. He also mentioned a tweet pointing to 2024 as a possible time frame for Activision games to appear on Game Pass. Notably, Spencer also confirmed that Call of Duty will maintain 100% parity across all platforms, which falls in line with Xbox’s 10-year deal with Sony. Final Thoughts The lack of Activision-Blizzard games on Xbox Game Pass, despite the recent acquisition, can be attributed to regulatory challenges and the extended period of uncertainty that preceded the deal’s closure. While it may take some time before we see titles like Call of Duty and Diablo 4 on Game Pass, Xbox has commenced the necessary work to make it happen. The wait may be longer than initially expected, but the games are coming. Also Read:

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Activision-Blizzard

Why Activision Games Are Absent from Xbox Game Pass in 2023: A Deep Dive into Phil Spencer’s Explanations