Phil Spencer said Microsoft plans to add as many Activision Blizzard games as possible to its subscription service.
One interesting piece of news embedded among the big news of the day about Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is that Xbox Game Pass continues to be a huge success and has now amassed over 25 million subscribers. And in case of any doubt, subscribers can look forward to Activision Blizzard games added to the Game Pass lineup in the future.
"Soon, we'll be offering as many Activision Blizzard games as possible, both as new titles and games from Activision Blizzard's incredible catalog, within Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass," Spencer announced on Xbox Newswire. Said . “We also announced today that Game Pass now has over 25 million subscribers. As always, we look forward to continuing to add more value and more great games to Game Pass.”
25 million subscribers is a huge monthly revenue for Microsoft, but even more impressive is that it represents more growth than 18 million subscribers just a year ago. That number will continue to climb and likely at an accelerating rate, especially if Microsoft decides that some future Call of Duty or Overwatch 3 will be console exclusive. Now that seems unlikely, but Microsoft dropped the exclusivity hammer on Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 after acquiring Bethesda, saying both will only be released for Xbox and PC, and there's no reason not to do it again.
Spencer has previously said that Microsoft's Game Pass isn't a replacement for traditional purchases, but subscription-based gaming has clearly become a priority for the future: In December 2021, Microsoft used the Game Awards' high-profile showcase to finally make use of it. Give the PC version of Game Pass a sensible name, a rebranding that probably wouldn't have been seen as a relatively mundane accounting job not too long ago.
PlayStation maker Sony has also apparently noticed the popularity of Game Pass and is reportedly working on a similar subscription offer of its own. Spencer thinks this is a good idea.