Microsoft to add Activision Blizzard games to Game Pass

Fariha Bhatti Published 18/01/2022

Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard may be surrounded with controversy, but it brings exciting news for video game players as the Microsoft Game Pass will now include “many” Activision Blizzard titles.

Tech-giant Microsoft has announced that it’s buying the home of legendary games like Overwatch, Diablo, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and more. Activision Blizzard was previously hit with a discrimination lawsuit over alleged sexual and workplace harassment, which might have eventually led to this purchase. The tech corporation has now shopped the troubled gaming publisher for an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion.

The deal is currently underway, and while it may have tons of speculations around it, players are happy they’ll get to enjoy their favorite games on a single “Netflix-for-gaming” platform, Game Pass.

Will Microsoft add Activision Blizzard games to Game Pass?

The CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer, has announced that the majority of Activision Blizzard games will be available of Microsoft’s Game pass once the deal comes to close.

Overwatch, Call of Duty, Diablo are just a few Activision Blizzard games to name that have an extensive player base. However, a discrimination lawsuit against the company had marred the publisher’s reputation, resulting in concerns from the players. The numbers took a massive hit as those in touch with the whole fiasco decided to steer clear of Activision Blizzard games. To top it all, the company’s shares fell to the lowest closing price for the stock in the later half of 2021.

Microsoft might be able to clean the house and bring legendary Activision titles back to their glory. After the deal, players will be able to purchase most titles at a lump sum of $9.99. It’s unknown what games Microsoft will leave out, but players are hoping for popular titles to make the cut.

“Upon close, we will offer as many Activision Blizzard games as we can within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both new titles and games from Activision Blizzard’s incredible catalog. As always, we look forward to continuing to add more value and more great games to Game Pass,” pencer said.

There’s also a high chance that Call of Duty and Overwatch will become exclusive to Xbox consoles and PC, but nothing has been officially announced yet. CoD alone has garnered a massive count of 2,100,000 average players, which will help Microsoft cement its foot in the gaming world. It remains to be seen what’s next, but Game Pass subscribers are over the moon for now.

Microsoft’s Game Pass service grows to 25 million subscribers

Activision titles will only bolster Microsoft’s Game Pass for good. The company has revealed that it has officially hit a new milestone of over 25 million subscribers.

The addition of Bethesda Games in 2020 might have played a role in growing numbers of Game Pass users. Before Activision Blizzard, Bethesda was Microsoft’s priciest gaming acquisition at $7.5 billion. The company completed its purchase of the parent company of the likes of Dishonored, Doom, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout in 2021.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

View full profile