Phil Spencer has confirmed that the Call of Duty series, along with Diablo and Overwatch, will be available on Xbox Game Pass once Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard goes through.
The head of Xbox issued a statement today explaining the implications of the Activision Blizzard acquisition. In his words, this means “gaming for everyone, everywhere”. Xbox is expanding choice in two ways, one of which is the development of Game Pass, which gives players the option to subscribe and get instant access to a growing catalog of games. The other is bringing more games to mobile platforms, including via its cloud game streaming technology.
According to Spencer, subscription services like Game Pass make gaming more affordable and help players from across the globe discover their next favorite game. He stated that Game Pass empowers developers to bring more games to more players. Microsoft intends to make Activision Blizzard’s library of popular games, including Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Diablo, available on Xbox Game Pass, which would give those gaming communities the opportunity to grow further. By delivering even more value to players, the company hopes to continue to develop Game Pass and extend its appeal to any mobile or connected device.
Spencer also tackled concerns regarding the possibility of the Activision Blizzard deal taking franchises like Call of Duty away from the places where people currently play them. He clarified that Microsoft remains committed to making the same version of Call of Duty available on PlayStation day and date with the Xbox console and PC release. According to the Xbox head, the company will continue to enable people to play with each other across platforms and across devices. He gave the example of Minecraft as a title that followed this model to great success. The game continues to be available on multiple platforms and has expanded further to more platforms since Mojang joined Microsoft in 2014.
