One of the biggest pieces of gaming news in 2022 came towards the start of the year when Microsoft announced that it had acquired Activision Blizzard. While the process has yet to be finalized, things seem to be slowly progressing as Microsoft executives continue to discuss the move and how it will impact the Xbox ecosystem. At the very least, Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard gives the company access to hugely popular IPs and franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.
This fact has left many in the community not on an Xbox platform worried that things are about to change for their favorite titles. Over the past few months, Microsoft leadership like Phil Spencer have gone on record to assuage those fears, recommitting franchises like Call of Duty remaining multiplatform and not becoming a first party Xbox exclusive. With Game Pass proving to be incredibly popular and a stable of franchises to work with, Microsoft has shed light on its plans for Activision Blizzard titles for the future.
During a recent media briefing, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty addressed the idea of exclusive titles and clarifying the company's stance on current Activision Blizzard multiplatform games. Without going into specific titles, Booty confirmed that if Microsoft acquires a game with a large pre-existing multiplatform community, "the last thing we want to do is take something away. If anything, we feel that it's our job to be caretakers, to be shepherds, to continue to build and nurture that community, not to cut it up into pieces and try to take some of it away."
Following up on that comment, GM for Programming and Events Tina Summerford specifically mentioned Minecraft as a good example of a game that not only had a strong and large community, but has continued to grow and expand across multiple platforms following Microsoft's purchase of Mojang. While not mentioned specifically, Call of Duty also fits into this philosophy and is almost assured to remain multiplatform for at least the next few years.
Next up, Corporate Vice President Sarah Bond discussed Game Pass and how Microsoft would like to put as many Activision Blizzard games on the service once the deal is finalized. No specific game was mentioned, though this idea does follow Microsoft's past history following other acquisitions. Once Microsoft purchased Zenimax Media, Game Pass users saw tons of Bethesda related games join the service including major franchises like Doom, Dishonored, Fallout, and Elder Scrolls. Considering the huge stable of franchises that Activision Blizzard have and Microsoft's desire to have a variety of older franchises to make a return, Game Pass could be seeing another great buff in the near future.
Source: IGN