Phil Spencer explains why the Xbox Game Pass will not include Activision games such as Call of Duty until 2024

Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard titles will not be available on Xbox Game Pass until the following year. On the Official Xbox Podcast, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer stated that owing to the extensive regulatory obstacles the business experienced in its purchase effort, consumers would not witness a significant decline in those titles right once. Until recently, it was unclear if the acquisition would be allowed by Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), therefore Xbox was unable to lay the basis for adding the portfolio to their game subscription service. Activision Blizzard stated on Twitter ahead of the deal's closing that the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and newly-launched Diablo IV will not be coming to Game Pass anytime soon, but Spencer's comment includes previous titles as well.

This is in sharp contrast to Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media, when 20 Bethesda back catalogue games, including franchises like Fallout, DOOM, Dishonored, and more, were flooded into Game Pass – free to play for subscribers — just two days following the takeover. "So, now that the deal is closed, we're getting to work." But there is work," Spencer remarked on the podcast, confirming Activision Blizzard's tweet is 'correct' in terms of the 2024 schedule. He also confirmed that there will be no'secret celebratory drop' in the coming weeks, while conceding that supporters have every right to be dissatisfied. However, it is a long-term acquisition, giving Xbox plenty of time to experiment with the ordinary gamer's ever-changing demands, and as a result, Phil feels optimistic about the future.

Of course, the elephant in the room is Call of Duty. Spencer stated on the same podcast that the series will have '100 percent parity' across all platforms, including PlayStation, for the next ten years. Other players should not lose out on unique material or timing as a result of the acquisition, which the Blue team took advantage of this time by offering early access to multiplayer beta and an exclusive operator dubbed Lockpick. For a year, until November 9, 2024, the combo will be accessible only to those who pre-order Modern Warfare 3 on PS4 and PS5. However, Spencer stated that depending on the platform, there may be some performance and resolution modifications. Due to technological restrictions, the makers of Baldur's Gate 3 were unable to integrate split-screen coop on the lower-end Xbox Series S. The in-game material, on the other hand, is likely to remain unchanged (at the time of writing).

"We have no goal of using Call of Duty to get you to buy an Xbox console," he added, adding that creating platform-exclusive beta weekends doesn't benefit gamers. The regulatory procedure for Microsoft's $69 billion (about Rs. 5,74,528 crore) acquisition of Activision Blizzard took more than a year, owing to the US FTC intervening to raise concerns that Microsoft's $69 billion (approximately Rs. 5,74,528 crore) merger was anti-competitive and that it planned to make Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox. During the court hearings, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan also said that a group of video game companies he'd spoken with unanimously agreed that Xbox Game Pass was 'value destroying.'