With Microsoft’s massive deal to acquire Activision-Blizzard more and more likely to come to fruition, it’s time to look at what this will actually mean for the industry. In a new interview with IGN, Xbox boss Phil Spencer lowered expectations for Activision-Blizzard games on Game Pass and warned that it will take time for games to arrive on Game Pass.Call of Duty won’t be coming to Game Pass right away
Answering a question about the arrival of Call of Duty and other Activision titles to Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service, Spencer said: “People think the deal will be complete and everything will be available on Game Pass. This is not true. We have work to do, just technical stuff. It will take time to prepare the games”
Adding that this delay is not unique to the Activision-Blizzard acquisition, Spencer noted that Microsoft’s previous purchases always needed time for local games to be uploaded to Game Pass. However, this rhetoric is somewhat vague. Looking back at Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda in 2021, Bethesda games started appearing on Game Pass just three days after the purchase was completed.
During the interview, it’s also interesting to see Spencer deftly ditch the details about Call of Duty’s Game Pass journey. Spencer has not explicitly confirmed whether or not Call of Duty will come to Game Pass.
On the other hand, Microsoft’s $70 billion acquisition of Activision-Blizzard is expected to be completed this fall. It is unlikely that Call of Duty will come to Game Pass from the first day, after the deal is completed, because there is already an agreement with PlayStation. If all goes well and Activision is convinced to bring the Call of Duty brand to Game Pass from day one, that will likely happen in the game next year or 2026.
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