Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision was confirmed last Friday after the UK’s approval came through, ending years of waiting and speculation. The acquisition was formally announced by Xbox with a video featuring several blockbuster games from not just Activision but also from Blizzard and King.
As gamers wait to see Activision titles eventually get added to Game Pass, Activision has raised the price for some of its best titles on Steam, including several Call of Duty titles and a Crash Bandicoot title as well. This price increase could just be a major hint at the titles that will arrive in the Xbox Game Pass library.
These Activision Games Just Got Their Prices Hiked
Several Activision titles have quietly received a price hike on Steam, Valve’s video game digital distribution service and storefront. Activision has not released any statement with regard to the reason behind the unexpected price hike for these games, but for now, the price increase is only seen on Steam.
It’s also unclear whether the same price hike for these titles will be applied to the Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo console editions as well. Here are some of the affected titles with the price hike from yesterday:
- Call of Duty (2003), from $9 to $19
- Call of Duty 2, from $9 to $19
- Call of Duty: Black Ops, from $18 to $29
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, from $21 to $49
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009), from $9 to $19
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), from $50 to $55
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, from $40 to $55
- Crash Bandicoot 4, from $55.50 to $66.50
- Spyro Reignited Trilogy, from $30 to $38
- Prototype, from $9 to $19
- Prototype 2, from $18 to $38
These price hikes have also applied to the DLC bundles for the games. The price hike has been reported in the regions of Brazil, Argentina, and Turkey so far, while other regions might also see a change in price over the coming days.
Xbox Game Pass Subscribers Will Be Raring to Play Old and New Activision Titles
Microsoft saw an increase in the number of new Game Pass subscribers following the global release of Starfield, which was also released on Xbox Game Pass as a Day One launch. Microsoft will also no doubt expect to gain a substantial number of new subscribers to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service with the addition of games from Activision.
The latest set of games announced for the Game Pass library includes Cities Skylines 2, Dead Space Remake through EA Play, F1 Manager 23, and four other titles. No Activision games have been announced yet, as expected, which should happen in due course eventually.
Microsoft recently reactivated the matchmaking systems on legacy Call of Duty games, all of which had been dormant for so long. This led to the lobbies in Call of Duty titles like Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops 1, and World at War coming to life and running smoothly.
While Xbox consoles continue to support backward compatibility, even on the modern Xbox Series X|S consoles, which continue to support Xbox 360 and Xbox One titles, adding the classic titles to the Game Pass library and reviving the multiplayer systems will bring several gamers to the lobbies to relive the titles together.
Microsoft will be waiting for the right time to add the Activision titles to Game Pass, which will see the subscription service as a cheaper option to play the game rather than shell out the increased price to own the game.
The standard price of $69.99 for most major AAA titles will look far-fetched when compared to Game Pass subscription rates that start at $9.99 per month for PC-only and $10.99 per month for console-only plans, all the way to the Ultimate Game Pass subscription that costs $16.99 per month.
That being said, Phil Spencer mentioned an imminent Xbox Game Pass subscription rate hike during an interview last month. Spencer did not reveal when the price hike might come into effect, but the subscription is set to remain the best way to experience Day One launches and Activision games whenever they get added to the library eventually.
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