Microsoft made a move that no one saw coming when it decided topurchase Activision Blizzardfor an eye-watering $68.7 billion. The move is set to have a major impact on the industry at large and will certainly put a smile on the face of many Xbox owners as this means thatXbox Game Passis set to receive a plethora of new games.
Microsoft is slowly but surely acquiring some of the industry’s largest companies, with the Activision acquisition coming after the company purchased Bethesda last year. According to Phil Spencer, many of Activision Blizzard’s titles will make their way toXbox Game Passin the near future. This means that the already extensive subscription service may include titles such asCall of Duty,Overwatch,andDiablo. Surprisingly IPs likeCrash BandicootandSpyro the Dragonmay become Xbox exclusives, which is exceptionally strange considering that both game series were formerly PlayStation exclusives.
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Spencer also recently offered some advice to PlayStation regarding subscription services. The Xbox Head stated that he sees subscription-based gaming as an inevitability in the industry and that it would be wise for Sony to follow Xbox’s lead. When one considers the massive amount of success that Xbox Game Pass is experiencing, there is little wonder as to why PlayStation is set to follow suit in the future.
It will also be interesting to seehow Microsoft goes about dealing with the internal issues Activision Blizzardhas been experiencing. Just yesterday Activision Blizzard fired 37 employees and disciplined 44 more owing to the harassment lawsuit the company is facing.
Microsoft has once again made a bold move that will likely greatly increase the support of Xbox Game Pass and the company as a whole. The purchase will likely also put a lot of pressure on Sony to make a move of its own in order to stay in the race.
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