Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer is getting a lot of questions this week. The planned buyout of Activision Blizzard announced today has springboarded the idea that all of their games may be subject to changing availability.
The release of new sequels and remasters has been a hot-button topic for some time in the gaming industry. And with the announcement of the planned buyout of Activision Blizzard announced today, there’s been a lot of curiosity about the future of some iconic franchises. One of the more intriguing ones is how Microosft plans to handle the launch of the upcoming Diablo 4.
Will the Diablo series become an Xbox exclusive?
While no official confirmation has been announced for future exclusivity of Diablo games, it can’t entirely be ruled out. And while it most certainly won’t be restricted to just the Xbox, a dual release with the Xbox and PC is a possibility.
While we have no official details if the Diablo series will become an Xbox exclusive, we can base assumptions on how the console ports of Bethesda games were handled. Their upcoming massive RPG, Starfield, will be exclusive to Microsoft platforms. The installed user base of the Xbox and PC is more than enough for Microsoft to work with, so we could conceivably see Sony cut out of the future of the Diablo franchise.
Then there’s the matter of Game Pass. some of the newly-owned Microsoft IPs would fit quite well on the service, others not so much.
Will Diablo games be coming to Xbox Game Pass?
This move is all but certain. There are already Xbox ports of some Diablo games, and it will be quite easy to make them compatible with Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft will also almost certainly launch their big names like Diablo 4 as day-one Game Pass options, hoping to boost new customers. The future of the franchise on PC is a bit harder to predict.
The Windows Store has had a hard time competing with Steam for gamers’ attention. And even by rolling the Activision Blizzard library, I can’t see many being happy with a switch to Windows 10 exclusivity through that Store. The Windows Store is just kind of annoying to use, and many will opt for Steam instead. Surely Microsoft realize this and wouldn’t forsake their existing userbase for Diablo, and even other franchises, by forcing such a change.
