
With Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 now out in the wild, Xbox's biggest Activision Blizzard release since the deal went through has now come and gone. The game ended up being a very good one, so we have no complaints in that regard - but we do still feel a little shortchanged by the Activision Blizzard deal so far.
You see, we thought that once Microsoft's big old fight to acquire the COD publisher finally came to an end last year, we'd swiftly start seeing loads of ActiBlizz games start popping up all over Xbox. We thought we'd be getting new additions to backwards compatibility, some classic IP revivals, and crucially, a bunch of huge Xbox Game Pass drops. The question is, where is all of that stuff?
Look, okay, we get that it's been a busy and often turbulent year for Xbox, but more drops like this could have helped Microsoft weather the storm. There's been loads of controversy surrounding the team bringing certain titles to PS5, but imagine the buzz we'd have had from some bigger ActiBlizz-related Game Pass announcements this year? We've had some of course, but it's all been a lot lighter than we anticipated.
There've been rumours of old Transformers games popping up and we've not seen anything from that series yet, and while Xbox has worked to bring more Blizzard titles to Xbox Game Pass recently - the most impactful of those — like StarCraft — have been PC-only so far. How about a little more love on the console side of things, Microsoft?
Anyway, before this turns into too much of a rant, how do you feel about this? Do you think Xbox has been holding out on us with these ActiBlizz games - particularly when it comes to new Game Pass additions?
Comment down below and let us know what you think.
Comments 32
Crash or Spyro may be a Christmas present. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fuelled has a Christmas circuit.
@Kezelpaso did @Ricky-Spanish put a gun to your head and force you to write this? Do you need help? Blink once for yes, twice for no.
Honestly, if you really like a game, just buy it.
I enjoy Game Pass, I enjoy Day 1 additions too, but for older games that I know I'll like, I just buy them.
For me Game Pass is more of a "gonna try this one to see if I'll like it".
There's a lot of games I finished that I'll never buy because I enjoyed but weren't that great (for me), and then there's games I'll gladly pay for even after finishing them on Game Pass.
The games will probably come, but seriously, you can't complain if you yourself are the only reason you're not playing a game you want.
Xbox don’t want to be Xbox anymore!!! When will everyone wake up and realise this! They want to be Microsoft gaming. They will no doubt put Acti/Blizzard games on all systems and remasters as well.
I love Xbox but if you can’t see that they don’t care about consoles anymore, you are blind
They will come on months where the lineup is slightly quieter. To fill the gaps between first party/big day 1.
Currently with CoD, flight sim, Indy on the way there’s little need for them.
@Banjo- has a good shout, with it being Christmas, kids potentially getting a console as a present.
It feels like Activision and Xbox are still basically separate companies, but both under the Microsoft Gaming banner, honestly. Realistically, it’s no big deal that they aren’t on there for me, but I get the frustration. For me, I just want to see some retro titles.
Lemme get all dem Tony Hawk on Gamepass. All the COD. Hell, lemme get it all.
Microsoft Gaming will decide. Xbox isn’t even a thing now. It’s just a name. Nadella wants Xbox gone and Spencer, Bond and Booty will be all redundant soon. They are all quieter than ever and they have never been great at communication anyway.
Cloud is the only way we will play Xbox soon.
Doesn't matter to me as they have nothing that I want to play even if they release everything they have.
Sucks for those folks who do have something they would like to see release on gamepass.
I guess I would probably be a bit impatient and grumpy if I was in their shoes with this wait.
I'm not really waiting anxiously for any of the games to come to gamepass. It would be nice to not have to find the disc when i want to play them and streaming them would also be convenient. But those games have all been released awhile ago and have been down to around $15 on sales. I think I own all of them, at least the ones I am remotely interested in.
Idk we need StarCraft on console
The fact everyone seems to miss is that, where possible, Microsoft wants parity between PC and console gamepass. So when they release these games they will come to both.
That means re-working old CODs for the Microsoft Store on PC etc. Including the 360 ones!
Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Crash 4 are such glaring omissions. There’s no excuse to fall back on about splintering multiplayer playerbase as with COD. What are they doing?
@K1LLEGAL the parity rule is seemingly all one sided though. PC Game Pass often gets games that aren’t on console Game Pass, but the other way around is apparently sacrilege? Doesn’t exactly make us console customers feel valued, especially given the extra cost of Game Pass on console.
@Hydralicmonkey How we didn't get 1+2 on the 25th anniversary is downright despicable.
May be about Ubisoft, they own the cloud streaming rights for Activision and there's been plenty of articles posted about the recent state of Ubisoft.
Microsoft seems to want parity between console and cloud when it comes to 1st party releases which means Ubisoft problems are also Microsoft problems.
They’re too busy porting them to PS5.
I have no doubt it's all intentional dripfeed. Why drop everything in a giant flurry when they can glacially add things over years? Easy gamepass fodder plan, add a new permanent title to the service every quarter inbetween all the third party stuff, AND with the COD tax they just bolted on to the damn thing.
@Elbow it's the Nintendo Switch Online approach.
@Markatron84 It's the worst, but at least they're not restarting it for the Switch 2. I bet that caused a lot of the business side of the company to start frothing at the mouth and screaming in panic.
Microsoft I get benefits from being on any platform. Then again who knows about the Entertainment Pack games from the 90s on Gameboy Color? Are those coming to Gamepass. XD As if Rare's GBA games don't exist as MS didn't have a handheld so Rare was able to offer them on GBA.
They do with Edge/Office, they did IE, among many other things, they do anything to make money being on anything because the more open they are it's fine. No one says you have to be straight 1st or 3rd party just keep whatever you want control over and offer t5he rest on other platforms, it's not a rule or something, they can do whatever they want.
Sure Sega was on PC during the Saturn to survive even though people seem to only pay attention to the Dreamcast ending and oh porting to other consoles and ignore the Saturn/PC stuff or don't know about it probably as much as the Enteratinment pack GBC games. It's not unheard of offering other platforms for games, apps or support for them.
It's like Minecraft modloaders, 5+ exist and PC gamers go wait what because they are too 1 for all/1 for comfort focused and ignorant to do basic research or have a brain of how the past works.
The sooner they offer Pitfall the better (a Indy/TR/Uncharted/Tad/Joe Wander competitor they could do something with, ANYTHING WITH) and offer Lost Expedition a good fair metroidvania I 100%ed which is saying a lot as I suck at them.
TimeShift/Singularity (I see on the Xbox store but assume are disk support only? They have the pages but of course no digital purchase which is fair. Or licenses stopped?) don't appear on the website as I assume only digital purchaseable ones count on that site?
I can go either way with the Truck racing games of the past, Supercar Street Challenge has no car licenses but maybe music ones (I doubt ABK cares, I do I think the game has a charm to it) or Transformers or other stuff.
Blur won't due to licenses and ABK really don't care anyways.
COD Classic no idea if works? But where are COD 2, 3, Big Red One, Finest Hour? They could have offered them but nope PS2 instead of Xbox versions it is for me as they didn't offer them in time so I bought them on PS2, if they want me to use my Xbox more they should offer them.
They could try to offer their past titles but they refuse to do so. If they don't have the source codes sure, if they are too lazy to ABK that's on them.
Activision Lives isn't Xbox compatible but something like it could be of past Activision 2600 or other titles.
Was surprised even Midway collection was back compat (I always try the disks just to make sure) I usually expect no collections of old games to be compatible (I mean why wouldn't Sega do that per gen to resell them in a different bundle/licenses change after all) but then again the Xbox Live Arcade disk and the Triple Pack with Limbo/Splosion Man/Trials HD worked so anything is possible I guess.
Gamepass is more and more useless for I dont play online often on console and too many games get switched out constantly. I used it more as a demo service tbh. Though it does have it's values for sure.
I want THPS 1 and 2 to come on gamepass.
@Markatron84 Haha I have followers now we won't stop till we get these games 🧑🌾 Activision we are coming for you!
I don't know if we will get many, if any 'OLD' games being added to Game Pass. As it stands, the XB1 era onwards already has Back Compatibility with Current Xbox hardware - but apart from some remasters, all they really released was Call of Duty, Diablo and a new Crash game - all the latest are on Game Pass.
As for OLD CoD's, maybe they'll never be added to Game Pass. They'll likely want you playing the 'latest', not split the matchmaking across multiple games. They want more in the newest and hopefully spending money on Battle Passes, Cosmetics etc too.
Most of the 360 and older ABK games are also Licenced IP's - James Bond (Quantum of Solace for example) or Marvel (Spider-Man) and Transformers were delisted due to Licencing. That too maybe a factor as to why they haven't added games to either Game Pass or BC because they don't have the license or legal right to.
There are a few - like Prototype for example - that potentially 'could' come to Game Pass or Back Compat, but I doubt these would sell Hardware or Subscriptions. Who would Subscribe or now buy an Xbox just because a few OLD 360 games are now added to BC or Playable via Game Pass? Maybe for Transformers or Spider-Man but these are not ABK (Or MS's now they own ABK) IP's to have any say over...
Also the 360 era was over 10yrs ago now so who knows if they even have the Game Code anymore...
@MjJmediablogger Meanwhile in the real world, Microsoft are making their next gen console and very likely a handheld as well, in the meantime they are currently releasing more AAA First Party titles than Nintendo and Sony combined.
Man, still waiting for those Transformers games. But, I can wait. I already have War, Fall, and Devastation anyway.
@Rog-X This is just off the top of my head but you might want check your numbers for Xbox.
Nintendo published titles in 2024:
Another Code Recollection
Mario Vs Donkey Kong
Princess Peach
Endless Ocean
Paper Mario
Luigi's Mansion 2
Zeldo Echoes of Wisdom
Mario Party Jamboree
Mario & Luigi Brothership
Emio
@Rog-X
Citation needed.
Most obvious reason is, the Acti-blizz execs have gotten into Spencers ear and talked him down from putting it all on gamepass.
Or maybe it's just because Xbox has had a stacked year and they want those games in reserve for a quiet spell? Who knows right?
@Lofty1985 I truly believe the plan is to add all, or as many, Activiion games to gamepass as possible. But not all at once.
Once quarterly, or every three months. Crash Trilogy earlier this year, COD now, something else probably in January/February.
d r i p f e e d
Whenever they are ready/other releases have the limelight and then quieted down put them on there I guess. I'm still waiting though for BC support. So as that will never happen whenever the Xbox One/Series gen ones they are ready to ad over time, sigh. Oh well got plenty of other Activision games of the past that won't go on Gamepass/Back Compat to enjoy in my time they couldn't care less about anyway.
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