Soapbox: I Can't Wait To See What Xbox Does With Activision Blizzard This Year

I think I'm still getting nightmares about that whole Activision Blizzard saga in 2023. Don't get me wrong, it was great for engagement here at Pure Xbox and was somewhat fun to discuss with everyone at the time, but it dragged on forever and undoubtedly caused controversy even within the Xbox fan community itself, which was a drain on all of us.

We're finally past those days now, and I feel like 2024 was a year where nothing crazy was ever going to happen in regards to the Xbox and Activision Blizzard partnership, aside from a few additions to Xbox Game Pass (perhaps less than expected in the end) alongside any previously-planned releases such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

2025 could be a different story though. We're mostly in the dark about what Activision is preparing as things stand, and that means some surprises are hopefully in the works. The first one that excites me is whatever's going on with the Tony Hawk series right now, as the Birdman himself has confirmed that he's working on "something". Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 was so good a few years ago, and I'm desperate for some kind of sequel or a brand-new entry entirely.

Crash Bandicoot and Spyro immediately come to mind as well. We know that Xbox is planning to publish the next game from Toys for Bob, which has worked on both of these series' in the past, and here's hoping Phil Spencer and his team think the two franchises are still worth sticking with. Crash Team Rumble was a good game, but it never felt it was going to achieve great sales, so how about new platformers for Crash and Spyro? Make it happen, Phil!

There's so much more that could be mentioned. A new Call of Duty (along with all the classics being added to Xbox Game Pass) is probably on many people's wishlists, although it's not really my kind of series to be honest. World of Warcraft isn't particularly my thing either, but I absolutely think it should get a console version at some point, and surely Xbox and Blizzard are looking into that possibility as we speak. That would be a huge announcement for 2025!

Whatever happens, I think there's a lot to be excited about here. We've all been so focused on the Xbox first-party slate that's been announced already (and for good reason - the likes of Fable and DOOM: The Dark Ages look excellent), but who knows what's waiting in the wings from Activision Blizzard? This is the first year where I feel like Xbox's creative vision could sneak into whatever's being worked on behind the scenes at ActiBlizz, and although the games might not be ready just yet, I'm still hoping for some exciting reveals at least.

What do you think we'll see from Activision (and Blizzard) in 2025? Tell us down in the comments below.