Activision Blizzard: Microsoft reveals which games are included in Game Pass

In early 2022, Microsoft announced the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the deal is worth $68.7 billion for the company Redmond. There is one but though, as all of this must first be approved by the antitrust law. In Great Britain, this is likely to enter a second round. Not only does the deal require approval from the US and EU competition authorities, but individual countries are also scrutinizing the deal.

And the approval process is also a treasure trove of various information from the gaming business, Brazilian court documents revealed that Microsoft is accusing its competitor Sony of using payments to prevent games from appearing on Game Pass.

In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is responsible for antitrust matters and the authority now has announced that we will take a closer look at the matter. A statement was released today saying it was concerned “that Microsoft’s proposed purchase of Activision Blizzard could significantly restrict competition in game consoles, multi-game subscription services, and cloud gaming services.”

However, this is not a definitive judgment or assessment, but only the starting signal for a (possible) so-called phase 2 of the CMA. will be launched if Microsoft is unable to answer and clarify the open questions within five days.

Game Pass Doesn’t Rule Out PlayStation Release

Microsoft’s gaming boss Phil Spencer has the company’s position in one blog post explain. Spencer explains that gaming is much more than consoles and Xbox in particular. The Redmond-based group’s top gamer also writes that the company will follow a “path of principle” in its approach to Xbox Game Pass and Call of Duty.

According to Microsoft, all Activision Blizzard titles, including Overwatch, Diablo, and Call of Duty, will be available in the Xbox Game Pass, but will not prevent Call of Duty from being available for the PlayStation. Spencer: “We’ve heard that this deal could move franchises like Call of Duty away from where people are currently playing them.

So, as previously announced, we’ve made a commitment to bring the same version of Call of Duty to the same make it available.” for PlayStation on the day the game launches elsewhere.” For comparison, he uses Minecraft, Mojang has also been taken over here, but the availability has been left and even expanded. Microsoft has also previously pointed out that it would simply be uneconomical not to release a game like Call of Duty on other platforms.