‘No plans’ for Diablo 4 on Game Pass, says series lead

There are currently “no plans” for Diablo 4 to be added to Xbox Game Pass, according to the series lead.

Rod Fergusson, general manager of the Diablo franchise at Blizzard, took to Twitter to state that a Game Pass appearance for the game isn’t in the works at the moment.

“It’s awesome seeing the excitement around the Diablo 4 beta,” wrote the veteran developer, who has previously worked on Gears of War and Shadow Complex.

“We’ve been getting some questions about [Diablo 4] on Game Pass and I want to let you know we have no plans for that.”

Questions about Diablo 4’s inclusion in Game Pass have been looming as Microsoft‘s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard continues to undergo investigation by anti-competition authorities.

It’s possible – perhaps likely – that should the deal go through Microsoft will add Activision Blizzard’s existing library to Game Pass. However, the deal currently remains incomplete, meaning an agreement to bring Diablo 4 to Game Pass likely hasn’t been struck.

The likelihood that Microsoft will offer Activision Blizzard’s largest titles on Game Pass has been a contentious subject in the midst of negotiations around the proposed acquisition.

Microsoft recently confirmed it had offered Sony the option to put future Call of Duty games on its PlayStation Plus subscription service on day one in an attempt to quell suggestions that offering the title at a fraction of the cost on its service could harm competition.

Diablo 4’s beta will run from March 17 until March 19 for those players who have pre-ordered the game. Those who haven’t will get a chance to experience the beta from March 24 until March 26.

The beta will have no time limit, and players will be able to progress until level 25, with almost all of the game’s first act included. It’s currently unclear if progress will carry across the two beta periods.

In the latest chapter of Microsoft’s ongoing acquisition saga, last week the company ran a full-page advert in a UK newspaper promoting its plans to merge with Activision Blizzard.

Appearing in both the Financial Times and Daily Mail, the ad claimed that should the $69 billion deal go through, Xbox will be able to offer Call of Duty to more than 150 million additional players.

This claim refers to Microsoft’s commitment to bring the blockbuster shooter series to Nintendo Switch’s nearly 125 million installed base, and GeForce Now’s 25 million users.