Microsoft to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo Switch after agreeing 10-year deal
Call of Duty will be coming to the Nintendo Switch games as part of a 10-year partnership agreement in place that will see the mainline games release on all major platforms.
Microsoft’s proposed buyout of Activision Blizzard sent shockwaves throughout the gaming community when it was announced back on January 18, 2022.
The reported $68.7 billion deal would see Microsoft officially own some big-time franchises including World of Warcraft, Candy Crush Saga, Crash Bandicoot, and of course – Call of Duty.
While there’s no word yet on if Sony and the PlayStation brand are going to accept the 10-year agreement terms, Microsoft have confirmed that they intend to release big-time CoD titles on the Nintendo Switch at the same time as other major platforms.
In an official interview with The Washington Post, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer recently confirmed Microsoft’s stance on the deal and how they plan to interact with rival brands.
“You can imagine if [the deal] closed on that date, starting to do development work to make that happen would likely take a little bit of time. Once we get into the rhythm of this, our plan would be that when [a CoD game] launches on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, that it would also be available on Nintendo at the same time,” Spencer said.
So this would mean that the company’s annual CoD title, or extended DLC project for Modern Warfare 2 for 2023, would be available for Nintendo Switch owners from day one, as was previously reported.
Also, Microsoft Attorney and Vice Chairman confirmed that Sony has still not agreed to the 10-year terms as of yet and is happy to sit down with the blue brand to hash things out – reassuring concerned PlayStation gamers that CoD will still come to the platform.
“Our acquisition will bring Call of Duty to more gamers than ever before. That’s good for competition and good for consumers. Thank you Nintendo. Any day Sony wants to sit down and talk, we’ll be happy to hammer out a 10-year deal for PlayStation as well,” Smith explained in a tweet.
Currently, the proposed takeover is being blocked by the FTC, while also being investigated by various regulators around the world with the general feeling that a Microsoft monopoly of the CoD, and various other games could severely impact the gaming market for its rivals.
Activision Blizzard’s Executive Vice President, Lulu Cheng Meservey, seems to be happy about the deal and is impressed by “Microsoft’s commitment” to growing the Call of Duty community, using the Nintendo deal as an example of this.
Sony is particularly against the deal going through, despite Microsoft stating that they want to deliver the “same Call of Duty” experience for all available platforms.
There is still plenty of mileage left in the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard takeover drama, so we’ll be sure to keep you updated on any future developments.
For more Call of Duty news and content, check out the new, leaked Warzone 2 Resurgence map, as well as all the news on Modern Warfare 2 Season 2.
Image Credit: Activision