10-Year Microsoft Deal Adds Call Of Duty To Nintendo Switch
While we're still unsure whether that increasingly shaky Activision Blizzard deal will go through, that hasn't stopped Microsoft from planning the future of gaming's biggest franchise. In an equally massive merger, Call of Duty games could finally be coming to Nintendo Switch.
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith has just announced that the gaming giant has signed a 10-year deal with Nintendo. Front and centre, Call of Duty games are seemingly a top priority for the House that Mario built.
What Does The Microsoft And Nintendo Deal Mean?
Although Smith doesn't go into specifics, he claims that on the morning of February 21, 2023, Microsoft and Nintendo signed a "binding" 10-year contract.
The aim is to bring Activision titled to "more players on more platforms," which presumably means the Nintendo Switch. The news comes after we recently reported that Nintendo could be getting its own CoD studio under Infinity Ward.
With a mention of a 10-year contract, this will take us well beyond the current Nintendo Switch and into those realms of a Switch 2... or whatever comes next. It's true that titles like 2007's Modern Warfare, World at War, and Black Ops landed on the Wii, but usually, Nintendo misses out on Call of Duty.
What About The ABK Deal?
Click to enlargeIt's impossible to see how this would proceed without the Activision Blizzard deal going through. Recently, Microsoft was warned that selling Call of Duty might be the only way to get the deal over the line, which leaves Nintendo's "binding" contract up in the air.
The timing of the Nintendo partnership is an interesting one because it coincides with an EU hearing that sees Microsoft try to argue against objections to the record-breaking $69 billion deal. By buddying up with Nintendo, it could show that the competition is willing to let the deal pass. Sony is sure to be fuming right now.
We haven't seen Call of Duty on a Nintendo platform since Ghosts let us use the Wii Remote in 2013, and while a return is long overdue, it could decimate the gaming industry. Either way, it looks like the green camp is confident it's about to own the keys to the CoDverse.