Rumor has it that Microsoft’s subscription service will further bolster its already strong lineup of in-house games in August, and with Gamescom taking place at that time, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Redmond-based company timed the announcement to coincide with the event.

It’s been a long eight months since Microsoft got to the point where the $68.7 billion deal was completed, and with it, the company pulled Activision’s Blizzard king to itself. Microsoft made several promises to regulators, including that it would bring Activision Blizzard games to Xbox Game Pass. After the deal closed, many expected Microsoft to begin adding the publisher’s games to the service in short order, but that was not the case.

“Frankly, there was a lot of uncertainty in this process up until really a week before we closed, or the week of, when the CMA finally came to their decision, that we weren’t able to get to work on that back catalog. So now that the deal is done, we’re starting that work. But there is work. And I think the Activision Twitter handle put out a statement talking about 2024. I think that’s accurate. I would love it if there was some kind of secret celebration drop coming in the next few weeks. There isn’t. When we think about the new games that are out there, I would be honest with people. If we were going to put them in the subscription this year, I would tell people. And I know there’s going to be some disappointment about that. This acquisition is definitely long-term for Microsoft, so the fact that we’re not going to have a bunch of games coming to Game Pass on day one is a little bit of a downer, but I’m very excited about the future,” said Xbox boss Phil Spencer at the time.

However, Diablo IV was the first to arrive at the end of March, and then again Xbox fans were excited that more titles from the publisher would be coming soon, but there was no word on that during the Xbox Games Showcase. According to a leaker, extas1s, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which has already sold over 20 million copies, will be coming to Xbox Game Pass in August, and will be joined by Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, but extas1s says he’s not sure if they’ll be coming next month. Windows Central also confirmed the Crash rumor, adding that Microsoft will be adding publisher titles to Game Pass over time. So it will only be worth preparing for a gradual expansion.

But when will Microsoft announce Crash? Maybe during the opening night of Gamescom. That starts on August 20 at 20:00 CEST.

Source: WCCFTech, Exputer, Windows Central