Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been in the works for a while. In a bid to quell the concerns of regulators, Microsoft has made promises regarding releasing Call of Duty across multiple platforms, including competitors’ consoles. Today Microsoft has revealed it is serious about this with a 10-year contract with Nintendo to bring the hit series to Nintendo players.
On February 20, 2023, Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, took to Twitter to share an official statement that Microsoft and Nintendo have negotiated and signed a “binding 10-year legal agreement” which will see Call of Duty coming to Nintendo platforms the same day as Xbox. Read the full statement below.
Microsoft and Nintendo have now negotiated and signed a binding 10-year legal agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo players – the same day as Xbox, with full feature and content parity – so they can experience Call of Duty just as Xbox and PlayStation gamers enjoy Call of Duty. We are committed to providing long term equal access to Call of Duty to other gaming platforms, bringing more choice to more players and more competition to the gaming market.
Microsoft is currently deeply involved in hearings over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. On February 21, 2023, Microsoft is set to participate in a hearing with the European Union committee over anti-competitive fears. This has been an ongoing situation since Microsoft announced the acquisition in January 2022.
As for the agreement between Nintendo and Microsoft, that last part of the statement is of particular interest: more competition to the gaming market. It’s safe to say that Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S consoles do not currently compete at the same level as Sony’s PlayStation 5, with the PS5 outselling Microsoft’s current-gen system. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard could threaten Sony’s healthy dominance.
While the acquisition hasn’t been cleared by EU regulators, it’s interesting that Microsoft has already set in place this agreement with Nintendo. It’s been a long time since a Call of Duty game was released on a Nintendo console, with the last being Call of Duty: Ghosts on Wii U. The wording does indicate that this agreement isn’t limited to the Nintendo Switch, but will in fact apply to whatever console the company is cooking up next.
Be sure to keep it locked to Shacknews as we bring you the latest on the Microsoft-Activision acquisition. There will no doubt be news surfacing soon about the EU regulator forum happening today.