With its attempts to acquire Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard into its ever-growing conglomerate of gaming companies, Microsoft assures fans and players that the price for the Xbox Game Pass subscription service will not increase. This will come as a bit of good news for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, as many people have been wary of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard for this very reason.

In January of 2022, Microsoft first announced its intent to purchase Activision Blizzard for over $60 billion. This would be the biggest gaming deal in history and would have serious repercussions for many different players in the gaming world. Sony has voiced its opposition to the deal and is facing the consequences of doing so, but Microsoft still plans to go ahead with the deal as soon as it is able.

If the merger is successful, Xbox Game Pass prices will not go up, as Microsoft officials stated that increasing the price of this subscription would be counter-productive. When Microsoft acquired Bethesda a few years ago, the price of the subscription did not increase, and Xbox's owner says that in a similar fashion, it will not increase with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard either. Microsoft also states that by keeping the Game Pass prices the same, Call of Duty players are more likely to stay subscribed longer rather than just joining Game Pass each time a new game in the series is released.

Another interesting part of the document released by the UK CMA points to Microsoft wanting to increase the competitive nature of the subscription-based gaming market. Microsoft says that if it improves the lineup of Game Pass games, then Sony will improve its PlayStation Plus lineup, thus making the market more competitive, which is a bonus for everyone involved. PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass are always locked in a race to reach the most players.

Microsoft must convince the UK CMA of the productive nature and positive valuation of the merger over the next month, as the authority is expected to conclude its investigation by April 26th. PlayStation players are not as worried anymore, though, as Microsoft stated that removing Call of Duty from PlayStation would make zero sense and it has no plans to do so.

Within the next few months, one of the biggest gaming deals in history will come to a close and will have a resounding effect throughout the industry. Fans can look forward to hearing more about how this acquisition goes over the next month and what the possible consequences will be for their own gaming platforms.



Posted: Mar 12, 2023 11:16 am
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://gamerant.com/xbox-game-pass-price-increase-activision-blizzard-deal/