Microsoft Shares Plans For Activision Blizzard Games Following Acquisition

Executives from Microsoft have outlined what their plans are for future Activision Blizzard releases when its deal to acquire the publisher, which was recently approved by stockholders, becomes a reality.

With several of gaming’s biggest series, including Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Diablo, all under the Activision Blizzard, many fans have expressed concerns over whether they’ll be able to access these games via their hardware of choice going forwards.

Seeking to address the concerns and outline how Activision Blizzard’s games will fit with the company’s current desires in terms of exclusivity and the Xbox Game Pass, some of its top brass have held a briefing, as reported by IGN.

Will Activision Blizzard Games Be Xbox Exclusive in the Future?

Speaking to press, Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty said of exclusives: “If we acquire a game that comes with a big community across a number of platforms, 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.”

This philosophy aligns with a previous report by Bloomberg, which suggested that Microsoft plans to continue to make upcoming Call of Duty titles available across all platforms, including PlayStation.

The company’s GM for Programming and Events Tina Summerford pointed out during the briefing that this has also been its approach with regards to previous purchase Minecraft, which has continued to appear on multiple platforms following the acquisition of developer Mojang by Microsoft in 2014.

In general, it seems as though putting as many titles on Game Pass as possible is more of a goal for Microsoft than maximising opportunities for traditional platform exclusivity, with Corporate Vice President Sarah Bond having outlined the former as a specific key focus once the deal is completed and the two entities become strapped together.

On the other hand, some Activision Blizzard titles may still be made exclusive, with Summerford suggesting brand new games, rather than entries in existing series, as more likely candidates for exclusivity.

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