World of Warcraft finally on console and even in the Game Pass. The dream was real – if only for a few hours. Because Microsoft is backtracking.
When Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard two years ago, the joy in the community was great. Many believed that Blizzard would soon be on the upswing again. At the same time, there was also hope that games like World of Warcraft might come to the Game Pass.
For a brief moment, that hope became reality – because Microsoft sent an email to all Game Pass customers yesterday claiming that World of Warcraft would be coming to the Game Pass.
Other peculiar bugs are more common in WoW:
What kind of email was that? In an email, Microsoft promoted the Game Pass and listed that you could play “Call of Duty, Diablo IV, World of Warcraft, and other hits from Activision in the Game Pass.” Particularly the mention of World of Warcraft – which was even advertised with an Xbox symbol as if a console version was coming soon – caused quite a stir. Because many have been wishing for years that WoW would finally come to consoles.
However, it became clear after a few hours that it was a mistake.
This is what Microsoft says: Microsoft has responded on X and clarified that it was a mistake. It states:
Oops, that was our mistake! Sorry for the confusion!
Blizzard’s World of Warcraft was accidentally included in the Game Pass email, even though it is not available on the service – a corrected email will soon be sent to all who received the original email.
Why is WoW not in the Game Pass? This is likely simply a financial decision. Because World of Warcraft continues to earn a large part of its revenue through ongoing subscriptions and the sale of new expansions, which are released approximately every two years. Simply “giving up” on this regular income by putting World of Warcraft in the Game Pass seems like a rather strange decision – and that is probably why it is not happening at all.
However, there are also many comments that believe Microsoft did not make a fundamental mistake here, but is actually working on a console implementation for WoW – and the news about it was simply released too early. Especially on X, there are many comments that believe it is only a matter of weeks before WoW lands in the Game Pass and that Blizzard’s MMORPG can also be played on Xbox. However, aside from the erroneous email, there is no concrete evidence for this.
For a brief moment, there was hope in the community – but with Microsoft’s clarification, it is clear that World of Warcraft will continue to stick to the subscription model in the future and will not switch to a free-to-play model or participate in the Game Pass.
There are indeed significant changes in WoW – as the Mythic+ system is being dramatically revamped.
