Following the announcement that Microsoft is purchasing Activision Blizzard, many gamers are wondering how the transaction could affect the games that they know and love, including Overwatch.
Since it was released in 2016, Overwatch has been playable across multiple platforms, including PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Nearly all high-level esports competitions for the game have been played with PC as the platform of choice. This includes the Overwatch League, which serves as the game’s professional league.
With Microsoft’s Xbox IP being one of its flagships, the company sometimes has games that are made with exclusivity to Xbox. This has led some to question if that could happen with some of Activision Blizzard’s titles when the acquisition closes, which is scheduled to happen before the end of the 2023 fiscal year.
Microsoft has not made any official statement about specific games becoming exclusive to Xbox, but the likelihood of Overwatch becoming an Xbox exclusive is extremely low considering the game’s popularity among PC gamers.
In an official statement released this morning, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer didn’t directly indicate whether or not any games would or could become Xbox exclusives. But he insinuated that Microsoft didn’t have intentions of taking any titles off of platforms that they’re currently already on.
“Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms and we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward,” Spencer said.
Seeing as the Overwatch community is largely filled with PC gamers and its major professional league is played on PC, there isn’t much of a chance that Microsoft would think of making it an Xbox exclusive because doing so would most certainly not be something to “support” the Overwatch community as it currently stands.
This article will be updated with any further details released by Microsoft or Activision Blizzard.
