Phil Spencer reveals when Activision Blizzard games could hit Game Pass
The end of the Activision Blizzard deal with Xbox is finally here, and we can rest. We've spent so long wading into the grim legal battle, we've forgotten what it was really for. Now that Activision, Blizzard, and King are officially a part of the Xbox family, it should be time for a break. That's not the case.
Avid gamers haven't wasted their time theorising what comes next, though, and as expected, they're leaping to presumptions about when the developers' games will touch down on Xbox Game Pass. Now it looks like we have an answer.
Activision Blizzard games could hit Game Pass in 2024
Xbox has had little time to organise individual deals with games while it's been trying to squeeze the legalities of its deal through various boards. As such, it looks like we'd be lucky to see Activision Blizzard games on Game Pass this year.
Phil Spencer has finally spoken on the deal's closure with press, and he's echoed Xbox's Twitter account in suggesting that 2024 is probably a fairer time bracket to expect the games to drop.
"The truth of the matter is with Activision/Blizzard/King that the regulatory process took so long, and frankly there was a lot of uncertainty in that process up until really a week before we closed, or the week of, when the CMA finally came down to their decision," said Spencer to the Xbox Podcast.
He continued, "We weren't able to get in and work with mostly Activision-Blizzard in this case, on that back catalog work." With this, it looks like next year could be the magic date to mark in your diary.
"So now that the deal is closed, we're starting that work, but there is work. And...the Twitter handle did put out something that talked about 2024, I think that's accurate," continued Spencer. "I would love it if there was some kind of secret celebration drop that was coming in the next couple of weeks, there's not."
No celebratory drop is a 'downer,' says Spencer
Feeling a similar way to fans, Spencer has added that the fact that the company couldn't unveil a big, celebratory drop of games onto Game Pass was "a little bit of a downer." Then again, with so much work to do, it was always a fanciful idea to imagine World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Call of Duty getting a Day One Game Pass launch.
At least we know, the many Activision Blizzard games will definitely be coming to Game Pass at some point in the near future. We know that will eventually include the goliaths of 2023's Modern Warfare III and Diablo IV, although not for a while. Get excited - but be prepared for a bit of a wait.
