Ever since its launch, Diablo 4 has acquired a large player base. However, Blizzard, the developers behind this popular franchise, have mentioned that the game will never make it to Xbox and PC Game Pass. While this information isn’t surprising, a Brazillian payments app called PICPAY advertised that the title would soon be on the service.
For the uninitiated, Game Pass is a subscription-based service owned by Microsoft. Those who subscribe to this service can access a plethora of titles for free, and they can keep the games for themselves for as long as they have the subscription.
Reasons behind Diablo 4 not making it to Xbox and PC Game Pass
Mike Ybarra, the President of Blizzard Entertainment, made this statement on Twitter after the information surrounding PICPAY and its claims surfaced on the popular microblogging platform. Diablo 4 is the latest installment in the franchise and is a live service title.
Had this been anyone else making such a statement with regard to the title, it could have been taken with a grain of salt. However, since the President of Blizzard Entertainment has made such a statement, the information is as credible as possible.
Reasons why Diablo 4 might make it to Xbox and PC Game Pass
1/We’re grateful to the court for swiftly deciding in our favor. The evidence showed the Activision Blizzard deal is good for the industry and the FTC’s claims about console switching, multi-game subscription services, and cloud don’t reflect the realities of the gaming market.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 11, 2023
Microsoft and the FTC have been at loggerheads for a while now with respect to the Activision Blizzard acquisition. The results from the preliminary injunction have just gone live, and Microsoft has won the case.
While Call of Duty was the major point of contention, Diablo 4 is also one of the biggest titles under Activision Blizzard. Furthermore, Phil Spencer, the Head of Xbox, in a recent tweet, mentioned that they had signed multiple agreements to make Blizzard’s titles available on Game Pass. It’s currently unclear if the Diablo franchise also falls under these titles, but the possibility of it being included is very high.
2/Since we first announced this deal, our commitment to bringing more games to more people on more devices has only grown. We’ve signed multiple agreements to make Activision Blizzard’s games, Xbox first party games and Game Pass all available to more players than they are today.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 11, 2023
It’s a very strange predicament at this point. With Microsoft finally getting the green light with respect to the Activision acquisition, Sony will definitely be on the back foot here. Moving forward from this point, it will be interesting to see how things pan out in the near future.
To conclude, the Microsoft vs. FTC lawsuit has been ongoing for a while. With the verdict in Microsoft’s favor, Activision’s acquisition, in all probability, will give the company an upper hand in the gaming market.
Given the current situation, not just Diablo 4, but there’s a chance that World of Warcraft, another extremely popular MMORPG, might also find its way to Game Pass eventually. It will be interesting to see what the upcoming days have in store for fans of the game that Activision Blizzard has been developing so far.
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