After Microsoft’s high-profile announcement to buy Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion, many speculated that the Xbox Game Pass subscription service would “dominate the world.” Meanwhile, some worry that big franchise IPs like Call of Duty and Diablo will become Microsoft exclusives, but the latest rumors don’t seem to support that view. After analyzing various sources, Bloomberg pointed out that Microsoft still allows Action to reserve some games for the Sony PlayStation platform.
Industry insider Jeff Grubb pointed out on Twitter that Call of Duty will indeed become an Xbox exclusive, but Warzone will continue to maintain multi-platform operations. Previously, Microsoft had sent a rather positive message to the industry by acquiring Bethesda. And through this acquisition of Activision Blizzard, I believe that the Redmond technology giant will continue to look far away, rather than blindly pursuing short-term interests.
OK. Fine. I’ll do the damn discourse. Warzone will remain multiplatform, but I think main Call of Duty games go exclusive. Microsoft already ran the numbers on every scenario with Bethesda and it determined exclusivity to Game Pass is the best way to drive its goals.
— Jeff Grubb (@JeffGrubb) January 18, 2022
In addition, thanks to the long-term success of the Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft is expected to bring the first subscription experience of the “Call of Duty” series to its own console platform. Embarrassingly, Bobby Kotick, who is said to have been overwhelmed by a series of strikes and lawsuits, will remain as CEO of Activision Blizzard until Microsoft officially closes the deal in 2023.