Newly promoted Xbox President Sarah Bond has her sights set high in terms of both the next hardware and also in terms of enriching the Game Pass library after the recent addition of Diablo 4. Microsoft recently held a Podcast that was streamed in late February updating fans on the near future of the business
It was in the same podcast that Xbox Head Phil Spencer revealed that four console-exclusive titles will be making their way to PlayStation 5. Bond announced that Activision Blizzard titles will be making their way to Game Pass, starting with the latest Diablo title. Now that the latest Diablo title is included in Game Pass, it has already become a bigger and better title on the Series X|S consoles.
Sarah Bond Ensures Older Xbox Titles Remain Online and Backward Compatible
Bond’s email to Windows Central revealed the setup of a dedicated team to work on the preservation of games. Players have been quite vocal about live-service titles and mobile titles going offline just as fast as they were released, for lack of enough players.
Apple, Nintendo, and Google are all known for shutting down stores and pulling the plug on games leaving them offline. Xbox 360 games haven’t faced that problem and Bond would like to ensure the old titles remain online for as long as possible, while also being backward-compatible.
We have formed a new team dedicated to game preservation, important to all of us at Xbox and the industry itself.
Bond went on to state how important it was to deliver backward compatibility while also bringing new titles. Speaking of new titles, Bond also touched upon Blizzard Entertainment’s latest Diablo title which was recently added to the console and PC Game Pass libraries.
Diablo 4 has become an instant hit as per Sarah Bond’s email, as Bond looks to add a dedicated Battle.net integration to add more Blizzard titles.
Xbox has Immediately Became the Best Place to Play Diablo 4
Bond announced that as soon as the title was added to the Game Pass library, it became the number one platform for Diablo 4 players as seen in an email by Windows Central.
We are integrating Activision Blizzard King titles into our services — we launched Diablo IV into Game Pass, and Xbox has quickly become the #1 platform for D4 players.
Bond also went on to mention the integration of Battle.net, an online store where players can shop for Activision and Blizzard titles, update them, and install important patches. Integrating it with Xbox will make it even more seamless for console gamers to purchase and keep their Blizzard and Activision titles updated.
This is especially important as several Call of Duty titles are also making their way to the Game Pass library. Gamers on PC are already required to install Battle.net to complete the installation of the latest Diablo title through PC Game Pass. Once Battle.net is installed and the Microsoft account is linked to it, players can go ahead and install the new Diablo title and get on the game seamlessly.
The action RPG experience features a “world of chaos, monsters, gear, and a conflict between the High Heavens and Burning Hells” as per the game’s description.
How has your experience been so far with Diablo 4 on the Series X|S consoles? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
