The first Activision Blizzard game joining Xbox Game Pass will be Diablo IV, scheduled to arrive on March 28. This move means that Game Pass members, numbering 34 million according to Xbox, will have access to Diablo IV on Xbox and PC at no additional cost.
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This marks just the initial phase of Xbox’s broader strategy to incorporate Activision Blizzard titles into its monthly subscription service, following Microsoft’s complete acquisition of the studio.
“More gaming experiences will be available as we begin to fulfill our promise of offering Activision and Blizzard games through Game Pass, encompassing both new releases and classics from its renowned catalog,” stated Xbox Wire. Xbox intends to release further details about additional Activision Blizzard titles joining Game Pass “soon.”
Securing Diablo IV for Game Pass is a significant win, considering Activision Blizzard’s extensive portfolio of popular franchises, such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Tony Hawk, World of Warcraft, and Starcraft.
Microsoft finalized its acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October 2023, following almost two years of antitrust scrutiny from authorities worldwide. The deal, valued at nearly $69 billion, stands as Microsoft’s largest acquisition to date. As part of negotiations with regulators, Microsoft agreed to transfer the streaming rights for Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft. This paved the way for their integration into Game Pass, Ubisoft+, and other cloud services, under a 15-year deal. Similar 10-year agreements were signed with Nintendo and several other streaming platforms.
Despite the completion of the acquisition, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continues its investigation and has recently accused Microsoft of misrepresenting its intentions for Activision Blizzard, particularly after the layoffs in January, affecting 1,900 employees across the gaming divisions. This led to the cancellation of at least one Blizzard game and significant restructuring at Skylanders studio Toys for Bob.
