Xbox Clarifies Availability of Diablo IV on Xbox Game Pass
In an unexpected turn of events, Xbox has clarified that the highly anticipated game Diablo IV will not be available to all 34 million Xbox Game Pass subscribers. The clarification comes after an earlier announcement stating that the game would be available to play by all Game Pass subscribers on both PC and Xbox consoles starting from March 28th. However, it seems that the game will not be included in the entry-level Xbox Game Pass Core range at this time.
Xbox head of communications, Kari Perez, provided a statement to The Verge, explaining the situation. “Diablo IV is coming to Xbox Game Pass on March 28th, with the exception of the Xbox Game Pass Core catalog,” Perez said. This clarification has left fans wondering about the exact availability of the game and who will have access to it.
The 34 million subscriber figure mentioned refers to the total number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers across console, PC, and cloud platforms. Introduced in mid-2023, Xbox Game Pass Core replaced the Xbox Live Gold service and offers members access to multiplayer features and a curated selection of over 25 games from the full Game Pass library.
While it remains unclear how the 34 million subscribers are distributed among each platform, Xbox head Phil Spencer shed some light on the matter. In an interview with Stephen Totilo’s Game File newsletter, Spencer revealed that the service has seen significant growth on PC and cloud platforms. He also confirmed that each of the 34 million Game Pass members is a paying subscriber.
“When there’s a fixed number of console players on the planet, you’re not going to grow Game Pass forever by shipping just on consoles,” Spencer explained. “So we’re seeing really significant growth on PC, which is great, and cloud.”
It is worth noting that the 34 million subscriber count includes Xbox Game Pass Core members. Last summer, Microsoft phased out its Xbox Live Gold program and introduced Game Pass Core as an evolution of Gold, providing players with access to a limited portion of the Game Pass library.
Interestingly, the recent Xbox blog post announcing the availability of Diablo IV for Game Pass subscribers seemed to imply that it would be accessible to Core subscribers as well. However, this remains unclear at the moment.
The number of Game Pass subscribers has been steadily increasing over the years. In early 2022, Microsoft announced that it had reached 25 million subscribers, and by November of the same year, Sony reported that the service had grown to 29 million users. The availability of Xbox Game Pass extends across consoles, PC, and cloud-supported devices.
While Microsoft has not provided specific sales figures for the Xbox Series X | S consoles, a recent financial report from Take-Two Interactive suggests that around 27 million units have been sold.
In addition to the Diablo IV announcement, Xbox has also revealed plans to bring some of its previous exclusive titles to rival platforms such as Nintendo and PlayStation consoles. However, only four titles are currently slated for this move. As Microsoft looks to the future and prepares to release its next console, fans can look forward to enjoying Activision Blizzard titles on Game Pass, with Diablo IV being the first addition on March 28th.
As gamers eagerly anticipate the future of Xbox, the availability of Diablo IV on Game Pass provides an exciting glimpse into what lies ahead. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements as the gaming landscape continues to evolve.
About the Author:
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN, known for his work at various outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx. Follow him on Twitter @MikeCripe for more gaming insights and news.