Microsoft purchasing Activision came as a huge surprise to gamers, industry members, and business people alike. After all, the two companies represent a huge market share on top of enormous respective catalogs of games. The $68.7 billion USD deal is all cash and has some people wondering how Microsoft can get away with this regarding anti-trust laws.
Tencent, Sony, and other companies are still bigger than they will be even with Activision under their belt. But the PC giant purchased storied studio Bethesda recently, announcing that their next release, Starfield, will be an Xbox exclusive.
Of course, that doesn’t mean much for people who have Windows PCs thanks to Xbox Game Pass. With Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s Head of Gaming, making promises, what can Game Pass users expect out of the Activision deal?
How does Game Pass work?
Before we dive in, let’s have a quick refresher on how Game Pass works and what it offers for those who might be unfamiliar with it.
From streaming services to shipping services and even car companies, many are moving toward subscription modalities. While the user may not own an item, they will have access to far more and may even gain perks along the way.
In this vein, the Xbox Game Pass service provides access to more than 100 games, EA Play, and Xbox Live Gold for multiple devices using the cloud. At $14.99 a month, that’s a ton of games for the average user. What’s more: it spans a huge amount of companies and studios. For instance, you could play a Mass Effect then pick up the latest Yakuza title, switch to Halo Infinite for a while, and then play a fun indie game like Hades.
Better still is that purchasing a title on Xbox allows users to play the games on PC, as well via Game Pass.
How Activision games fit in on Game Pass
Blizzard is known for its heavy-hitting franchises like World of Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and more. While you can play MMOs on Xbox and PC, Microsoft doesn’t have true MMO experience under its umbrella.
All the same, Microsoft does have tons of experience with handling many server calls as you would need for managing multiple massive always-online titles. With Diablo 4 still in development, Microsoft also stands to influence how the game will come out, as well.
While future development of titles in other franchises remains opaque, it’s a sure bet to see Microsoft maintain service for current Blizzard/Activision titles. Current subscribers can maintain their service or postpone it until Microsoft ports over the Activision/Blizzard titles. Those on the fence about purchasing the service can take a look at the titles to see if it sways them or not.
Game Pass will protect Call of Duty on PlayStation
Though many people love Blizzard titles like Spyro or Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, many more gamers actively and often play Call of Duty. Since the franchise had already committed to releasing three more titles on the Sony PlayStation, Microsoft intends to uphold this deal, according to Bloomberg.
For now, Game Pass won’t afford any additional perks (that we know of) regarding Call of Duty games. Some sites have theorized that collaborating could prompt bringing Game Pass to Switch and even PS5. The likelihood of this move is entirely suspect right now.
Prepare for resurrecting older Activision titles
It’s common knowledge that Phil Spencer and other Xbox Studios members want to bring back classic Activision and Blizzard franchises. Of note are Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot, and Skylanders, but the gigantic company also houses many other popular and profitable games such as:
- Candy Crush series
- King’s Quest
- Heroes of the Storm
- Geometry Wars
- Caesar
- Deadpool
- Singularity
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Prototype
Though Game Pass holders should not expect to see these titles pop up right away, it is possible that Microsoft will pursue them down the road.
Number one step: find out what you want to play
As with anything, finding out what you want is the most important step to prepare for Activision games coming to Game Pass. If you’re an avid Overwatch player, the ~$15 USD per month fee makes sense as it not only gets you access to that game but a bunch of other new releases, too.
For Hearthstone fanatics, it might not make as much sense. After all, Hearthstone is free to play unless you purchase card packs, cosmetics, or expansions.
The bottom line is that Game Pass already had a ton to offer for that monthly fee. With Microsoft’s purchase of Activision/Blizzard, their supremacy in the games-as-a-service and subscription space is even more assured.
