Xbox Game Pass – Where are We Going? When Do We Expect to Stream? How Do We Care? How Will Bobby Kotick Overcome the Xbox Deal?

Microsoft does not have veto power over the rights to cloud gaming for those who are outside of the EU. Ubisoft will acquire these rights for a period of 15 years, allowing the publisher to license titles back to Microsoft to be included in Xbox Cloud Gaming.

The Xbox maker originally announced the deal in January 2022, and has faced close scrutiny from regulators ever since — including an FTC v. Microsoft case that revealed plenty of Xbox secrets. The Federal Trade Commission is still appealing its failure to secure a preliminary injunction to block Microsoft’s deal, with a decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals due in December.

Microsoft’s obligations to the European Commission will allow consumers in EU countries to stream via “any cloud game streaming services of their choice” all current and future Activision Blizzard PC and console games that they have a license for.

Microsoft now plans to add many of Activision Blizzard’s games to Xbox Game Pass. Spencer says that they start the work to bring beloved titles to Game Pass and other platforms. When you can expect to play is something we will share more about. We know you are excited, and we are as well.

Microsoft paid $26 billion for LinkedIn in 2016 and $7.5 billion for Bethesda in 2021 in its largest acquisition of all time. The mega deal will push Microsoft into gaming, making it the third-fastest growing gaming company by revenue behind only Sony and Tencent, according to the company.

Activision Blizzard made it clear earlier this week that Modern Warfare 3 and Diablo IV won’t be coming to Xbox Game Pass this year, though. Microsoft hasn’t provided an update on Xbox Game Pass subscription numbers since announcing 25 million subscribers alongside the original Activision Blizzard deal announcement in January 2022.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will remain in place to help with the transition until the end of 2023. Kotick has promised that he is committed to helping with the transition in an email to employees today. I have agreed with Phil that I will stay as CEO of ABK, reporting to him, for the rest of the year. We will be working on a smooth integration of our teams and players.

The Final Xbox All-Hands Conference – What Have We Learned in 2+1 Years? How Well Do We Now Know? And What Are We Waiting For?

I would like to thank everyone who helped make the acquisition possible. We wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this without you.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be visiting the Activision, Blizzard, and King offices, along with members of our Gaming Leadership Team. In the November 8 session of the Company Strategy Series, we will discuss how we can welcome our new colleagues at our next virtual all-hands for Xbox employees, and how we can better serve the Microsoft community.