After the Activision deal: will Diablo 4 and CoD 2022 now be exclusive to Xbox?
Microsoft buys Activision, bringing in some of the biggest franchises.
Microsoft dropped an even bigger bomb than it did a year and a half ago Purchase of Bethesda. Because the tech giant has gone on a shopping tour in the video game market again and is now planning to incorporate Activision Blizzard. This also raises the question of which games will be released for the PlayStation. We’ll see what the buyout means now.
What happened? Microsoft announced a few hours ago that they will buy the publisher and thus all of Activision Blizzard’s studios and brands. With a volume of 70 billion US dollars, it would be one of the largest deals in video game history. You can read more information about it here:
more on the subject
Microsoft plans to buy Activision Blizzard for $70 billion
What happens now to Blizzard’s previously announced games?
Of course, the question arises as to which games will be released for other platforms besides the Xbox Series X/S or PC. Because Blizzard has already announced some games that should come for the PlayStation, including Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4. In the case of these games, PlayStation fans could still be happy.
A Bethesda-like approach is likely: When buying Bethesda Studios, Microsoft took a very clear line. Any deals on exclusives and promotions made before the purchase was announced will proceed as normal. That’s why Deathloop, among other things, was only released for the PlayStation 5 at first.
So it may very well be that Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, which have already been officially announced, fall under such possible deals. Since it is public knowledge, Microsoft will probably no longer shake the platforms – at least that is the hope. Exactly how they will deal with it remains to be seen.
No more Call of Duty on PlayStation?
Certainly the biggest franchise that would be Microsoft’s by buying it is Call of Duty. Many are concerned that the upcoming games will no longer be released for the PlayStation consoles. The next game in the CoD series has not yet been officially announced and so the rule applies here, as with the Blizzard games.
A beacon of hope: The deal is not yet closed at this time. This is expected to happen in 2023. Therefore, it is very possible that the upcoming Call of Duty will not be affected by the buyout. PlayStation fans could breathe a sigh of relief for this year. How things will continue after that is very uncertain.
There are already rumors about Call of Duty 2022, which is said to be Modern Warfare 2. You can read the first information about the game here:
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CoD 2022: Highrise, Terminal and Co. are said to be returning in Modern Warfare 2
We asked Microsoft if they can announce anything about handling Activision Blizzard’s games yet. If there is a reply, we will adjust the article accordingly.
Nothing is clear yet: Even if Microsoft has now announced the purchase, it is not clear which games are now really exclusive and which are not. As part of a Bloomberg report also says an anonymous source that it could vary from title to title. So it would also be possible for Call of Duty to continue to appear on all platforms.
What do you think: will Activision Blizzard’s announced games be exclusive to Xbox?
Reference-www.gamepro.de