Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the next entry in the series, is all set to release on November 2023. Also, the $69 billion dollar acquisition of the game’s developer Activision Blizzard Inc. by Microsoft Corp was finalized and approved by the Competition and Markets Authority on October 13, 2023. Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, first revealed this using a blog post in 2022.
This means that Microsoft will acquire and house many gaming properties developed by Activision Blizzard. This includes upcoming titles like Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and recently released titles like Diablo 4. Activision Blizzard took to X(formerly Twitter) to officially announce when gamers can see these titles appear on the Xbox Game Pass library.
When Can Gamers Expect Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on Game Pass
In the announcement made by Activision, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Diablo 4 were mentioned. The information, however, did not offer an exact release date for these titles on Game Pass. The possibility of these titles coming to Xbox Game Pass this year was ruled out. The entire announcement stated:
It’s awesome to see anticipation building for Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III. As we continue to work toward regulatory approval of the Microsoft deal, we’ve been getting some questions whether our upcoming and recently launched games will be available via Game Pass.
The announcement further read.
While we do not have plans to put Modern Warfare® III or Diablo IV into Game Pass this year, once the deal closes, we expect to start working with Xbox to bring our titles to more players around the world. And we anticipate that we would begin adding games into Game Pass sometime in the course of next year.
It isn’t entirely assured that they will be coming soon, either. That is because the announcement states that Activision Blizzard titles will be added to Game Pass in due course of next year. Yet, there were no mentions of any specific titles.
The deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard is enormous and could have sizeable outcomes. But this isn’t Microsoft’s first acquisition of a major gaming studio. Microsoft owns a staggering number of 23 game studios.
Microsoft’s Acquisition Of Other Major Studios
In 2002, Rare Limited was acquired by Microsoft for 375 million dollars. This was after Rare’s partnership with Nintendo. Rare is the studio responsible for classics like Goldeneye 007 and newer games like Sea of Thieves. Rare has worked on several titles. It has also worked on the Iconic Xbox Live avatars. Rare was also responsible for working on the Kinect from 2009 to 2014. Beginning with Kinect Sports in 2010, which was a commercial success.
Microsoft acquired Minecraft developer Mojang Studios in 2014. Minecraft is one of the most popular Sandbox titles of this generation. That is why this acquisition was a game-changer for Mojang. As a result of the acquisition and backing by Microsoft, the game also received a couple of spin-off titles. For example, Minecraft Dungeons was a trendy and well-received Game Pass title.
In addition, Microsoft also acquired Zenimax Studios, which included Bethesda, iD Software, and Arkane Studios. The deal was done for 8.1 billion dollars; Microsoft now owns titles and IPs like Doom, Quake Rage, and Dishonored. This acquisition also included Bethesda. This studio is known for developing titles like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series.
As a result of the deal, Bethesda’s latest title, Starfield, was released as a PC and Xbox Series X|S exclusive. The title was also available on Day 1 for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Bethesda’s acquisition led to the studio adding older titles to the Game Pass within weeks of finalising the deal.
The probability of Activision Blizzard adding Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Diablo 4 to Xbox Game Pass that early has already been squandered. However, we can expect to see older titles like the previous Call of Duty games being added to the Xbox Game Pass in early 2024.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 also has a promotional deal with Sony, which could push the addition of the title to the Xbox Game Pass for some time. So, the release date remains uncertain currently.
Do you plan on buying Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, or will you wait for it to pop up on Xbox Game Pass now that the deal is done? Which game mode are you looking forward to playing the most? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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