The keyword there is "intends".
Xbox intends to place Activision Blizzard franchises like Call of Duty onto Xbox Game Pass as day one additions, in line with its renewed intent to make all first-party Microsoft games available in the same manner.
Speaking with Game File, Xbox head Phil Spencer said that, “[o]ur intent is the full portfolio of games from ZeniMax, Activision Blizzard and XGS — Xbox Game Studios — will be on Game Pass, day one.”
As we know, that’s not happening yet — Activision Blizzard’s latest big-name title, Diablo 4, isn’t available on Game Pass as yet and won’t be there until 28 March.
Acknowledging this, Spencer added that “[w]e’re doing the back end work to make [Activision Blizzard titles] come to PC and console simultaneously.”
Call of Duty was a big sticking point when it game to the USA’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approving the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft; to help seal the deal, Microsoft confirmed it would keep the franchise as a multiplatform affair for at least 10 years.
In a recent business update, Spencer confirmed that Xbox has had a multiplatform strategy in place for the last ten years. The company recently confirmed that four unnamed Xbox exclusives would soon be offered on additoinal consoles including the PS5 and Nintendo Switch.
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