Categories: Gaming

Each Activision sport lacking from Xbox Game Pass (up to now)

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Microsoft closed its deal for Activision-Blizzard a few years in the past, and Xbox Game Pass customers have reaped many advantages since.

Call of Duty is now formally a part of the Xbox Game Pass line-up, fulfilling guarantees Microsoft made to each followers and regulators for example of its pro-consumer dedication to the merger. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $19.99 per month, and nets you day one entry to all new Activision, Bethesda, and Xbox Games Studios titles. However, some followers aren’t glad.

Why? Microsoft previously implied that the plan was to bring all Activision-Blizzard titles to Xbox Game Pass — depending on how you interpret the comments. Either way, they were ambiguous enough to have set lots of expectations about the potential here, and so far, we’ve only really had a drip feed of content here and there, rather than a full flood.

So, what games are missing, what exactly did Xbox say about it, and why has it been so slow? Let’s analyse what we know.

What did Microsoft say about Activision games coming to Game Pass?

Microsoft’s merger with Activision-Blizzard-King has brought many benefits to Xbox Game Pass users, but many are wondering why it hasn’t gone further. (Image credit: Windows Central | Jez Corden)

Microsoft itself raised expectations around Activision titles coming to Xbox Game Pass. In a 2022 blog post penned by Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, the agency positioned the Activision-Blizzard-King acquisition as one that might enhance entry to Activision’s fairly dear again catalog, citing video games like Diablo, Call of Duty, and Overwatch.

“Subscription services like Game Pass make gaming more affordable and help players from all over the world find their next favorite game. Game Pass empowers developers to bring more games to more players, not fewer. We intend to make Activision Blizzard’s much-loved library of games – including Overwatch, Diablo and Call of Duty – available in Game Pass and to grow those gaming communities.”

Microsoft reiterated this dedication in a 2024 blog post when it dropped Diablo IV into Game Pass, stating, “There will be even more to play as we begin to fulfill our commitment to offer Activision and Blizzard games with Game Pass, both new releases and classic games from its legendary catalog. We’re excited to bring more of the biggest games to our 34M XGP subscribers.”

Since then, Microsoft has added a good providing of titles from Activision and Blizzard. We have the traditional Warcraft and StarCraft video games, Diablo III and IV, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Tony Hawk titles. There’s additionally 4 Call of Duty titles within the service, and perks for free-to-play titles like Overwatch 2, CoD: Warzone, and Heroes of the Storm. The acquisition additionally solved long-standing publishing points for titles like Hexen, releasing them as much as lastly get ports to trendy platforms.

But, the providing really pales compared to Activision’s full again catalog, as you possibly can see beneath.

The list of missing Microsoft-owned games is extensive

As compiled by X user Crusader3456, the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet is extremely massive, and but nonetheless is not really exhaustive. Activision’s in depth again catalog runs all the best way again to the 80s, and plenty of of these retro titles have been making their means throughout to cloud-based platform Antstream Arcade, included free through Xbox Game Pass as a part of an app known as Xbox Retro Classics. This listing primarily covers Xbox 360 video games and up.

The listing additionally consists of some titles from Bethesda and Microsoft itself that by no means made their means throughout, though many are nonetheless being compiled. If there is a sport you are significantly enthusiastic about seeing make the listing, hit the feedback.

Hit the hyperlink above to increase to the complete desk, or head right here for a deeper breakdown on Google Sheets. Many aren’t on there probably as a consequence of licensing points round Xbox backwards compatibility. Microsoft beforehand famous that it had exhausted all of its authorized choices for sure video games, owing to a plurality of authorized points stemming from expired sound results licenses to rights holders being uncontactable.

But … there are additionally loads on the listing that are accessible on Xbox backwards compatibility, circumventing licensing points, which might be additionally unavailable on Xbox Game Pass.

Microsoft stated it wished to place Activision’s “much loved library of games” onto Xbox Game Pass, so why hasn’t it occurred but?

So … why aren’t they there but?

Game Pass is below fixed scrutiny. (Image credit score: Windows Central | Jez Corden)

Just this previous weekend, former Bethesda exec Pete Hines attacked Xbox Game Pass, drawing attention to its retail sales cannibalization. Other game industry alumni chimed in, including former PlayStation exec Shawn Layden and Xbox veteran Shannon Loftis, essentially calling attention to the idea that Xbox Game Pass results in less investment for first-party developers who are forced by Microsoft to participate in the program.

Microsoft sources previously told me that Xbox Game Pass accounts for sales cannibalization using an equation and then charges the business back to studios, although it does seem as though there is a very delicate balancing act Microsoft is running up against to make Xbox Game Pass work.

For example, Microsoft moved the “day one games” promise from the cheaper $12.99 tier into the highest $19.99 Xbox Game Pass tier last year, ahead of Call of Duty’s inclusion. Call of Duty is a very, very expensive game to make and maintain, and any disruption to the business model therein could threaten the entire franchise — particularly as Battlefield 6 looks increasingly hot this year. That’s probably why we haven’t seen World of Warcraft or Elder Scrolls Online hit Xbox Game Pass, given that both (more so WoW than ESO), rely on in-game subscription services to power their business models.

Speaking of Call of Duty, Microsoft is probably cognizant of the fact that many Call of Duty players would probably migrate to classic Call of Duty titles if they were more broadly available. The older CoD games do not monetize as strongly as the newer ones, owing to fewer skins and things like that. Ironically, Activision’s insistence on goofy skins has led to a huge backlash against the game, forcing them to quite literally publicly commit to keeping things more grounded in the future.

[PROTOTYPE] and the Activision Xbox 360 Transformers titles are two games I often get asked about with regards to Xbox Game Pass and backward compatibility. (Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

Other older games not showing up, such as MechAssault, are simply the result of complex and outdated legal agreements between rights holders. Microsoft owns the full rights to license video games based on the BattleTech / MechAssault / MechWarrior tabletop universe, but it doesn’t own the full rights to the franchises wholesale, making re-publishing older entries a little legally murky. Microsoft errs on the side of caution with regards to things like this, given that it’s often such a huge target for opportunistic litigators.

But, more broadly, the real reason Microsoft hasn’t simply flooded Xbox Game Pass with Activision’s back catalog is, again, likely due to cannibalization. If Microsoft aggressively dumped 30+ old Activision titles into Xbox Game Pass, it threatens the engagement bonuses third-party developers in the program get to enjoy. Keeping third-party developers happy, particularly indies who use Xbox Game Pass royalties as part of their business models, is a delicate balancing act. It perhaps wouldn’t be as much of an issue if Xbox Game Pass was seeing significant growth, but there’s no evidence that it is right now.

Indeed, given that Xbox Game Pass isn’t really growing (particularly so on console), Microsoft has to be pretty careful how it manages what games are available. It could be argued that they’re potentially being too conservative, and that adding more nostalgic games like the original Xbox 360 back compat Call of Duty games could drive more interest in the Xbox platform all up — but it’s hard to know what impact it might have if they went further.

Finding new users for Xbox Game Pass is what has been driving Microsoft to expand with Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and devices like the Xbox Ally … but it’s pretty telling that they haven’t shared any new Game Pass milestones since February 2024.


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