With the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, fans are worried about exclusivity and the games on PS5.
The Microsoft buyout of Activision Blizzard is already a contender for gaming story of the year, and we're only 18 days into January. With it could bring a bevy of new Microsoft Xbox exclusives.
Fans who play Overwatch or Call of Duty on Sony consoles are certainly sweating. But do they have anything to worry about with Xbox Exclusivity? Let's break it down.
What has Microsoft said after the acquisition about Xbox exclusivity?
While some may be worried about games going exclusive (especially folks on the Switch and PS5,) Microsoft hasn't said one way or another whether this would be the case.
For now, it seems they are hyping up the possibilities for Xbox Game Pass more than anything else.
“Through the cloud, we’re extending the Xbox ecosystem and community to millions of new people, including in global markets where traditional PC and console gaming has long been a challenge,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in the post-announcement press conference. “And when we look ahead and consider new possibilities, like offering Overwatch or Diablo, via streaming to anyone with a phone as part of Game Pass, you start to understand how exciting this acquisition will be.”
Of course, Microsoft was quick to try and assuage the worries of fans on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.
“It’s not our intent to pull communities away from that platform and we remained committed to that,” Phil Spencer, newly minted CEO of Microsoft Gaming said.
Microsoft has traditionally had a very good working relationship with Nintendo. They've collaborated on bringing Banjo-Kazooie to Super Smash Bros Ultimate, and have generally been supportive of Nintendo's hardware. Indeed, the above quote about mobile is telling, as it's quite possible we could still see Xbox Game Pass coming to consoles like the Switch. And where console computing is a concern, cloud gaming has proven possible on the console through releases like the Kingdom Hearts collection.
What have other reports said on Microsfot Xbox exclusivity?
Where Xbox and Microsoft are being quiet, journalists have tried to fill in the gaps about these new potential Xbox exclusives.
Specifically, a report from Bloomberg states that "some" Activision Blizzard games will continue to exist on Sony consoles like the PS4 and PS5. However, they did say that "some" will be exclusive to Xbox.
It's likely existing games continue to be supported, but exclusivity for newly announced titles seems likely. This means things like Overwatch 2 are probably safe, but a Call of Duty two or three years could be exclusive to Xbox and Game Pass (PC).
How have other acquisitions by Microsoft gone?
When Microsoft acquired Zenimax (owners of Bethesda), Spencer said at the time that exclusivity would be decided on a case-by-case basis. That seems rather different than the approach here.
Shortly after making that statement, Starfield and Elder Scrolls VI were announced to be Xbox exclusive.
On the other hand, they've kept Minecraft multi-platform, and have even expanded on the reach of that game by offering it in the Xbox Game Pass. It's possible that games like Warzone could see a similar treatment while certain aspects of Call of Duty could go exclusive to Xbox, eventually.
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