Microsoft has confirmed it will make some Activision Blizzard releases Xbox exclusives, but remains committed to keeping the company's biggest releases multiplatform.
In a media briefing, Xbox Game Studios' general manager for programming and events, Tina Summerford, said some games would be exclusive, and as many as possible coming to Game Pass.
"We want to put as many titles as possible from Activision Blizzard into Game Pass when they join us," she said.
Microsoft previously confirmed Call of Duty would remain a multi-platform franchise for the foreseeable future. When Microsoft announced the acquisition in January, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said it would "honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation."
Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty shed additional light on Microsoft's approach in this week's media briefing.
"Ultimately what our goal is, is to make gaming more accessible to players and more accessible to creators. If we acquire a game that comes with a big community across a number of platforms, the last thing we want to do is take something away," Booty said. "If anything, we feel that it's our job to be caretakers, to be shepherds, to continue to build and nurture that community, not to cut it up into pieces and try to take some of it away."
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been approved by shareholders, but it's yet to be approved by regulators. The companies predict the deal to close by June 30, 2023.
