Activision Blizzard has given the first glimpse of their plans for Xbox Game Pass once the Microsoft deal has closed, saying they expect to start bringing their games to the service next year.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is expected to close this Friday. Even still, in a statement on X/Twitter today, the company said not to expect titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Diablo IV to hit Game Pass this year.
It’s awesome to see anticipation building for Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III. As we continue to work toward regulatory approval of the Microsoft deal, we’ve been getting some questions whether our upcoming and recently launched games will be available via Game Pass.
While we…
— Activision Blizzard (@ATVI_AB) October 9, 2023
“As we continue to work toward regulatory approval of the Microsoft deal, we’ve been getting some questions whether our upcoming and recently launched games will be available via Game Pass,” says the statement. “While we do not have plans to put Modern Warfare III or Diablo IV into Game Pass this year, once the deal closes, we expect to start working with Xbox to bring our titles to more players around the world. And we anticipate that we would begin adding games into Game Pass sometime in the course of next year.”
The kinds of titles that could start coming to Game Pass once the deal is final has been one of the major issues as Microsoft continues to work to push the deal through. It was addressed back in June in its big FTC trial, during which Xbox vice president Sarah Bond pointed out that a current agreement in place keeps Call of Duty from hitting Game Pass before January 2025.
That doesn’t, however, count out games like Diablo IV from coming to the service next year, along with hundreds of other games that Activision Blizzard has published. Microsoft’s massive Bethesda acquisition famously brought tons of that publisher’s games to Game Pass, including those from the Doom, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout franchises.
It’s only the latest bit of news that will inevitably come out regarding the closing of the $69 billion buyout. The Verge reported that the deal is expected to be complete just days before the Oct. 18 deadline that was agreed upon by Microsoft and Activision following a long battle in various courts.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
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