Xbox ABK Acquisition
Xbox has acquired ABK and how does that change the industry
Five days ago, Xbox acquired Activision Blizzard (and King), and we have officially entered the era in which some of the biggest franchises in gaming history are part of Xbox.
Franchises such as Call of Duty, Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft, Guitar Hero, and former PlayStation mascot Crash Bandicoot.
What will Xbox do with these franchises? Will they be exclusive to Xbox? Will Activision Blizzard make exclusive content for Xbox? Will Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III come to Xbox Game Pass at launch this year?
Xbox exclusives and Exclusive content
The answer to this question is quite simple actually. On the 18th October 2023 episode of Xbox Podcast, Phil Spencer confirmed that there is no exclusive content or early launch for Xbox platforms for Call of Duty games1. They will have content parity between Xbox, PS5 and, in the future, Nintendo.
In terms of other games, I have to assume that games like Overwatch 2 will also have content parity with other platforms, but what about other games?
Well, let’s say a game like Tony Hawk or maybe Crash Bandicoot. They could have exclusivity in terms of content or even platform altogether.
Why? Simply because, just like Bethesda, they could be making Xbox exclusive games on a case-by-case basis2.
So, in terms of exclusives, there is a chance that it will happen, but we won’t know until it starts happening.
Lastly, Game Pass
Let me start by clarifying one thing: Call of Duty Modern Warfare III will not be available on Game Pass on Day One, simply because it is too close to the launch date and the implementation of the game on Game Pass is not feasible.
Apart from that, let’s talk about the other Activision Blizzard games that are coming to Game Pass, shall we?
Based on Bethesda’s acquisition, there was a drop of games on Game Pass a few weeks after the deal was closed, but Phil Spencer said, in the Xbox Podcast1, that it would not be happening for Activision Blizzard because of how long it took to close the deal due to the CMA2.
Basically, they were able to work on getting Zenimax’s games before the deal was finalized, but because of how long it took to close this deal and the sudden approval by the CMA, they could only start working on getting ABK’s games on Game Pass on the day of the closure.
With that in mind, expect ABK’s games on Game Pass starting from 2024 and that includes games like Diablo IV, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (and future Call of Duty games on Day One) and hopefully Transformers: Fall of and War for Cybertron games (that depends on Hasbro as well).
Industry has changed
The gaming industry has undergone a major transformation and Xbox is now a formidable contender. With its recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Xbox owns some of the most iconic and popular franchises in gaming history.
Xbox has built a powerhouse of games under its umbrella, including Halo, Forza, Minecraft, Call of Duty, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Diablo, Starcraft and Warcraft. This is a remarkable turnaround from its position in 2013.
Xbox has also created the best value proposition in gaming with its subscription service Game Pass1, which offers access to hundreds of games across console, PC and cloud gaming. This is similar to what Netflix and Spotify did for their respective industries.
Xbox has also changed its business model from selling consoles and profiting from software sales to selling games on multiple platforms and offering a subscription service. This means that Xbox games are available on Day One on both PC and console.
Will Xbox continue its spree of acquisitions? Only time will tell, but for now, it seems that Xbox has become an unstoppable force and Game Pass has become the greatest deal in gaming history.
