A few hours ago, Blizzard Entertainment began emailing its users one-month PC Game Pass trial codes (only usable on new accounts). I got one myself, and there are many other reports on places like Reddit.
The most interesting thing about the offer is that it is set to expire on July 24. You have a week to redeem your code. Why July 24, though? Well, recent rumors have suggested a new wave of Activision Blizzard games might be about to be added to the subscription service.
Chief among them is, of course, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. Call of Duty fans have been looking forward to the massive first-person shooter franchise being added to Game Pass, and the new Modern Warfare III season drops on July 24. Microsoft might be trying to get more new users in ahead of the game’s arrival on the subscription service.
In addition to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, we also covered rumors that Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Spyro: Reignited Trilogy, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 will soon join Game Pass. However, these are all Activision titles and the promotion email came specifically from Blizzard. As such, it’s not far-fetched to imagine some Blizzard games might be part of this new wave following Diablo IV’s example earlier this year.
Remasters like Diablo II: Resurrected and Warcraft III: Reforged come to mind, as well as classics like Starcraft and Diablo III, not to mention perks for Overwatch 2. Then there’s the long-standing dream of World of Warcraft joining Game Pass, although that’s hard to imagine coming to fruition, given that the monthly subscription price of Blizzard’s MMORPG is higher than PC Game Pass ($14.99 versus $11.99). Perhaps they could offer a discount.
Adding a good chunk of the extraordinary Activision Blizzard portfolio would surely go a long way toward convincing consumers that Game Pass is still convenient even after the latest price increase. As a reminder, the Ultimate tier will cost $19.99, up from $16.99; the PC tier will be raised to $11.99 from $9.99, and the console tier will be unavailable to new users, replaced by a more limited Standard tier priced at $14.99.
According to analysts, Game Pass users should anticipate even more hikes in the future.
