The largest acquisition in gaming history by a long stretch, Microsoft's $75 billion deal for Activision-Blizzard sent shockwaves through the gaming industry when it was first announced in January 2022, and those shockwaves continued right up until the deal's completion in October of last year. Despite being complete for almost a year now, Microsoft's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard is still in its early phases. However, Xbox Game Pass subscribers have already started to benefit from the monumental deal.
Back in March of this year, Diablo 4 was released onto Xbox Game Pass, marking the first Blizzard game to do so. Blizzard's support for Xbox Game Pass has continued throughout the rest of the year, with a recent announcement at Tokyo Game Show confirming that there are more Blizzard games on the way for Game Pass subscribers. But it still feels like Blizzard is only scratching the surface of what it could be giving Xbox Game Pass.
Every Confirmed Day-One Release on Xbox Game Pass Until 2025
Xbox Game Pass has had a fairly solid year so far, but things are about to get a whole lot better thanks to some major upcoming day-one releases.
Xbox Game Pass and Blizzard's Partnership Is Just Beginning
Xbox Game Pass Has Seen Some Strong Support from Blizzard Entertainment This Year
As mentioned up top, Diablo 4 was a groundbreaking title for Xbox Game Pass, not just marking the first time a Blizzard game had come to the service, but the first time an Activision-Blizzard game had appeared on Game Pass as a first-party title following the acquisition. Diablo 4's launch on Game Pass was apparently one of the biggest in the subscription service's long history, with subscribers playing over 10 million hours within the first 10 days of its release on Game Pass.
Earlier this month, Blizzard's beloved hero shooter Overwatch 2 delivered exclusive rewards for those subscribed to Xbox Game Pass. Game Pass subscribers could unlock six hero skins after linking their accounts, along with a one-time bonus of 30 Mythic Prisms, and a permanent 10% XP boost. Game Pass subscribers are also given access to an exclusive section of Overwatch 2's item shop that allows them to purchase skins from previous seasons.
During Xbox's recent Tokyo Game Show presentation, it was announced that StarCraft Remastered and StarCraft 2 are heading to PC Game Pass on November 5. It's great to see Blizzard continue supporting Xbox Game Pass, and hopefully, there's still plenty more to come.
There's Still Room for More Blizzard Titles on Xbox Game Pass
There are still plenty of Blizzard games that could come to Xbox and PC Game Pass. The most requested Blizzard game for Xbox Game Pass is probably World of Warcraft, the beloved fantasy MMO that's about to turn 20 years old. As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, it would be amazing to see World of Warcraft come to Game Pass in some form, whether that's a full-blown Xbox console port, or just a month's subscription for free for those with Game Pass.
There are also plenty of older Blizzard titles that would make for great Xbox Game Pass additions. Games like Warcraft 1-3, Diablo 1-3, and all of their accompanying expansions would all be received well on Game Pass, especially if they were released on consoles, PC, and Cloud simultaneously. It's a big ask, but Blizzard still has plenty to offer Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft's flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info