{"id":182469,"date":"2022-01-27T10:30:24","date_gmt":"2022-01-27T09:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=182469"},"modified":"2025-07-01T20:58:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T03:58:18","slug":"xbox-game-pass-activision-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/xbox-game-pass-activision-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Get the Most From Game Pass and Prepare for Incoming Activision Games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Microsoft purchasing Activision<\/strong> came as a huge surprise<\/strong> to gamers, industry members, and business people alike. After all, the two companies represent a huge market share <\/strong>on top of enormous respective catalogs of games<\/strong>. The $68.7 billion USD<\/strong> deal is all cash<\/a><\/strong> and has some people wondering how Microsoft can get away with this regarding anti-trust laws<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tencent<\/strong>, Sony<\/strong>, and other companies are still bigger <\/strong>than they will be even with Activision under their belt. But the PC giant purchased storied studio Bethesda<\/strong> recently, announcing that their next release, Starfield<\/a>, will be an Xbox exclusive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, that doesn’t mean much for people who have Windows PCs thanks to Xbox Game Pass<\/strong>. With Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s Head of Gaming, making promises, what can Game Pass users expect out of the Activision deal?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does Game Pass work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before we dive in, let’s have a quick refresher<\/strong> on how Game Pass<\/a> works<\/strong> and what it offers <\/strong>for those who might be unfamiliar with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From streaming services to shipping services and even car companies, many are moving toward subscription modalities<\/strong>. While the user may not own an item<\/strong>, they will have access to far more<\/strong> and may even gain perks<\/strong> along the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this vein, the Xbox Game Pass service provides access to more than 100 games<\/strong>, EA Play<\/strong>, and Xbox Live Gold <\/strong>for multiple devices using the cloud. At $14.99 a month,<\/strong> that’s a ton of games for the average user. What’s more: it spans a huge amount of companies and studios. For instance, you could play a Mass Effect<\/strong> then pick up the latest Yakuza<\/strong> title, switch to Halo Infinite<\/strong> for a while, and then play a fun indie game like Hades<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better still is that purchasing a title on Xbox allows users to play the games on PC<\/strong>, as well via Game Pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Activision games fit in on Game Pass<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Blizzard <\/strong>is known for its heavy-hitting franchises like World of Warcraft,<\/strong> Diablo,<\/strong> StarCraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone,<\/strong> and more. While you can play MMOs on Xbox and PC, Microsoft doesn’t have true MMO experience<\/strong> under its umbrella.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the same, Microsoft does<\/em> have tons of experience with handling many server calls<\/strong> as you would need for managing multiple massive always-online titles. With Diablo 4<\/strong> still in development, Microsoft also stands to influence how the game will come out<\/strong>, as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While future development of titles in other franchises remains opaque, it’s a sure bet to see Microsoft maintain service for current Blizzard\/Activision titles. <\/strong>Current subscribers can maintain their service or postpone it until Microsoft ports over the Activision\/Blizzard titles. Those on the fence about purchasing the service can take a look at the titles to see if it sways them or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Game Pass will protect Call of Duty on PlayStation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though many people love Blizzard titles like Spyro or Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater<\/strong>, many more gamers actively and often play Call of Duty<\/a><\/strong>. Since the franchise had already committed to releasing three more titles on the Sony PlayStation<\/strong>, Microsoft intends to uphold this deal<\/strong>, according to Bloomberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, Game Pass won’t afford any additional perks <\/strong>(that we know of) regarding Call of Duty games. Some sites have theorized<\/a> that collaborating could prompt bringing Game Pass to Switch and even PS5. The likelihood of this move is entirely suspect<\/strong> right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Prepare for resurrecting older Activision titles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It’s common knowledge that Phil Spencer and other Xbox Studios members want to bring back classic Activision and Blizzard franchises<\/strong>. Of note are Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot, and Skylanders,<\/strong> but the gigantic company also houses many other popular and profitable games such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n