Activision Blizzard Games Won’t Be on Game Pass Until 2024

With the completion of the Activision Blizzard King games acquisition, many fans are eagerly awaiting the incorporation of ABK’s catalog into Game Pass. Regrettably, to the chagrin of these fans, the wait will exceed initial expectations. Phil Spencer revealed this during an interview on the Official Xbox podcast, confirming that Activision Blizzard Games won’t be on Game Pass until 2024.

During the interview, Phil addressed a diverse array of topics, but dedicated most of the discussion to answering questions regarding the acquisition and its implications for the future of Xbox. While the entire interview is worth a watch, the important quotes about game pass from the interview are:

When we finished Bethesda, there was this great moment. We were able to put a bunch of the back catalog games in and celebrate their history.

The truth of the matter is with Activision Blizzard King, the regulatory process took so long, and frankly, there was a lot of uncertainly in that process up until really a week before we closed or the week of when the CMA finally came down to their decision, that we weren’t able to get in and work with mostly Activision and Blizzard in this case on that back catalog work.

So now that the deal is closed, we’re starting that work. But there is work. And I know I think the Activision Twitter handle did put out something that talked about 2024 — I think that’s accurate. I would love it if there was some kind of secret celebration drop that’s coming in the next couple of weeks — there’s not, definitely, when we think about the new games that are there.

I would be straight with people, right? If we were going to put them in the subscription this year, I would tell people. I know there’ll be some disappointment about that. This acquisition is definitely long-term. So the fact that we’re not hitting day one, with a bunch of games dropping into Game Pass, is a little bit of a downer, but I’m very excited about the future, and I just want to be straight with people that that’s where we are.

For those who follow the official Game Pass X account, the announcement should come as no surprise. This account had previously issued a statement similar to Phil’s, indicating that they had just commenced work on ABK’s Game Pass integration.

In the interview, Phil dropped other intriguing tidbits. Various queries about the beloved Call of Duty series arose, with Phil’s responses shedding light on their approach to exclusivity and extra content strategies.

Although Activision Blizzard games won’t be on Game Pass for the foreseeable future, there’s a lineup of new games on the horizon. Xbox recently revealed that seven new games are set to join the service throughout October.

How do you feel knowing that Activision Blizzard Games Won’t Be on Game Pass Until 2024? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments below.