Activision Blizzard Games Will Appear in Game Pass, but Remain on PlayStation
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard could have many consequences for gamers. Fortunately, we already know a bit about the future of the company's games.
- Despite Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, some of the former's games will likely appear on PlayStation as well;
- Microsoft also intends to bring as many Activision Blizzard titles to Game Pass as possible;
- The acquisition is also related to the development of Microsoft's metaverse.
Yesterday, big news broke that Microsoft would purchase Activision Blizzard, putting a staggering $68.7 billion on the table. This aroused astonishment of many people who did not expect that the Redmond giant would be tempted by such a transaction. Others quickly began to consider what this might mean for the future of the company responsible for brands such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Diablo.
First of all, it's worth remembering that until the deal is finalized, which is most likely by the end of 2023, both companies will function as they have until now. After that there will be a lot of changes. What about the availability of Activision Blizzard's titles on PlayStation consoles? Will the games from the aforementioned brands appear in Game Pass? We already know the answer to some of these and similar questions.
Exclusivity of Activision Blizzard games
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard may worry fans of the former company's games who are also owners of PlayStation consoles. After all, following the acquisition of ZeniMax Media, the Redmond giant decided to cut off Sony's hardware from upcoming Bethesda productions. Theoretically, then, nothing stands in the way of similar treatment in Activision Blizzard's case.
It is possible, however, that PlayStation owners will have no reason to worry. This issue was commented on by Phil Spencer, head of Xbox.
"I'd just like to reassure all the players who play Activision Blizzard titles on Sony consoles that our goal is not to drive the community away from that platform and we're sticking to what we've already agreed."
However, it is worth mentioning that similar statements were made by Spencer in connection with the acquisition of ZeniMax Media.
The anonymous sources of Bloomberg news service are of a different opinion, although they do not take away all hope from PlayStation owners. While some of Activision Blizzard's games will indeed be exclusive titles that will only appear on PC and Xbox, Microsoft doesn't want to give up on releasing certain titles on all platforms. Unfortunately, it is not known which brands will remain available to the wider public and which will function only within the Microsoft environment.
Activision Blizzard games in Game Pass
The prospect of Activision Blizzard's acquisition by Microsoft obviously raises high hopes among Game Pass users. It suggests that in the future the former company's games will be added to the regularly expanded library of the service. We did not have to wait long for this scenario to be confirmed by Phil Spencer.
The CEO of the Xbox division has stated that after the deal is finalized Microsoft will make as many Activision Blizzard games available on Game Pass as possible (via Windows Central). So we are dealing with a familiar solution ,as Microsoft has taken similar steps in the case of ZeniMax Media products.
In the future, Game Pass will most likely include games from the Call of Duty and Diablo series. However, it is too early to say with certainty that new games from Activision Blizzard will appear in the service on the day of their release.
Development of the metaverse
The acquisition of Activision Blizzard is not only a matter of expansion in the digital entertainment market. This purchase is also supposed to be related to the development of Microsoft's metaverse. Of course, it's hard to say what this means. The metaverse has recently become a buzzword that can describe any idea of combining the real world with the virtual.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, announced only that the games industry is the fastest growing sector of the entertainment industry in the world (via Windows Central). As such, it is expected to play a big role in the expansion of the said metaverse. The Activision Blizzard acquisition will further increase the company's potential in this area. What it will actually mean for the players themselves, only future can tell.
