Is Diablo 4 Coming to Xbox Game Pass?
| Tags: Diablo
| Author David Hollingsworth
With the Microsoft buyout of Activision Blizzard seemingly slowly creeping forward. We might see Diablo 4 on Xbox Game Pass sooner rather than later.
So, is Diablo 4 coming to Xbox Game Pass? Short answer, no. At least, not for now. Well, let's take a closer look anyway and see what we can do.
Is Diablo 4 Coming to Xbox Game Pass
For the long term, we at least know Microsoft Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer is keen on the idea ” “We intend to make Activision Blizzard’s much-loved library of games – including Overwatch, Diablo, and Call of Duty – available in Game Pass and to grow those gaming communities.”
Though, right now, it's still a no. Rod Ferguson, GM of the Diablo brand at Blizzard Entertainment said that they have “no plans” to release on Xbox Game Pass at release. So, it won't be on Xbox Game Pass for launch, but that could easily change in future.
As recently as March 13, Rod Fergusson took to Twitter to once again confirm the bad news:
“It's awesome seeing the excitement around the Diablo IV Beta, and our Wolf Pack puppy! We’ve been getting some questions about D4 on Game Pass and I want to let you know we have no plans for that. See you in Sanctuary during the Beta Early Access weekend starting on March 17!”
The Microsoft Take of Activision Blizzard
Now, this will likely change things. It might be years away… but it will probably see Diablo 4 head to Xbox Game Pass on Xbox and PC. For now, the deal has been approved by China, the EU, and South Africa. However, the shock here is that the UK has rejected it.
In July 2023, the USA did pass the deal, though the UK's rejection was the last major hurdle. The deadline to get the deal done was extended, to give Microsoft time to “go to the table” with the UK regulators so that they might find some compromise. As of now, we have no idea what the UK wants, though their original issue involved concerns around cloud gaming. It's likely that, in a post-Brexit world, the UK is looking for some slice of the deal, likely via employment in the country from future studios etc.
Once that deal is confirmed, which we expect it will be at some point in 2023, Diablo 4 is very likely to join Game Pass in some capacity.
David has written for games media outlets for the last ten years. With his first major esports role being with Esports News UK covering mostly UK League of Legends. David is also a member of the British Esports Association and is an advisor to them on World of Warcraft Esports. More recently David has worked for Esports Insider and Red Bull as an esports journalist.
David later became Editor at ESTNN and now leads the current team.