Diablo IV will not actually be accessible to all 34 million Xbox Game Pass customers, as Xbox has now explained. Currently, the game is not going to be included in the Xbox Game Pass Core entry-level category. The Verge received an explanation from Kari Perez, the head of communications at Xbox.
“Diablo IV is coming to Xbox Game Pass on March 28th, with the exception of the Xbox Game Pass Core catalog”.
After today’s Xbox blog article, which otherwise says that “Diablo IV will be available to play by the 34 million Game Pass subscribers on both PC and Xbox consoles beginning March 28!” the correction was brought about. It is confirmed that Xbox Game Pass Core subscribers are included in the 34 million subscriber total. Xbox Game Pass Core, which replaced Xbox Live Gold in the middle of 2023, offers users access to multiplayer gameplay and a carefully chosen collection of more than 25 titles from the entire Game Pass catalog.
Xbox Game Pass Expansion and Subscriber Growth
In a special episode of the Xbox Podcast, Microsoft said that 34 million people are presently registered Game Pass users across PC, console, and cloud platforms. It’s unclear how precisely that 34 million number is distributed across all of the platforms where Game Pass is available. Nevertheless, Xbox chief Phil Spencer provided some context for it, stating in Stephen Totilo’s Game File newsletter that the service has experienced rapid expansion on PC and cloud fronts lately. Additionally, he affirmed that every one of the 34 million Game Pass subscribers is a paying customer.
Xbox head Spencer said,
“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. So we’re seeing really significant growth on PC, which is great, and cloud.”
Microsoft has verified to The Verge that the Xbox Game Pass Core is included in the 34 million figure. For those who do not know, Microsoft phased down its Xbox Live Gold program this summer. Those who continued to subscribe to the service automatically had their accounts updated to a new tier called Game Pass Core as of September 14. The service, which grants users access to a restricted section of the Game Pass library, was first billed by the firm as an evolution of Gold.
Interestingly, Microsoft revealed that “Diablo IV will be available to play by the 34 million Game Pass subscribers on both PC and Xbox consoles beginning March 28!” in a blog post for the Xbox platform today. That would appear to suggest that Core subscribers would have access to it, though that is not yet known.
Latest Update
The announcement that Xbox would soon be releasing some of its former exclusive games to rival platforms like Nintendo and PlayStation consoles coincides with today’s Game Pass upgrade. Currently, just four titles are reportedly making the transition. All of this is happening while Microsoft prepares to release its next platform. Activision Blizzard games on Game Pass are something fans can look forward to while they wait for the future of Xbox. As previously stated, Diablo 4 will be the first addition on March 28.
