Microsoft reveals 10-year deal with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to their ecosystem

Microsoft has signed a deal with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to their ecosystem following their Activision Blizzard merger

Microsoft’s trying to get regulatory approval for their acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and soon the world’s major regulators will start to decide whether or not they will allow it, and what restrictions they will place on Microsoft if they do. 

Thus far, Microsoft has been unable to come to any form of agreement with Sony regarding their Activision Blizzard deal, with Microsoft eventually offering Sony a 10 year commitment to bring Call of Duty to PlayStation systems. Even now, Sony has not come to any form of agreement with Microsoft, which makes sense given Sony’s desire to prevent the acquisition. 

Without Sony, Microsoft needs to appease regulators by striking deals with other gaming giants, with the first being Nintendo. Microsoft’s Phil Spencer has confirmed that they have entered into a 10-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms, stating that Microsoft wants to bring “more games to more people”. Additionally, Microsoft has also confirmed that they are committed to continue bringing Call of Duty to Steam on PC. 

Microsoft’s deal with Nintendo confirms their commitment to not make Call of Duty and Xbox exclusive franchise. Additionally, it commits to broadening the potential reach of the Call of Duty franchise by bringing the series to a new platform. At this time, it is unknown how Microsoft plans to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo systems, be it in the form of cloud streaming on Switch, or in the form of native Switch port. It is also possible that Microsoft’s commitment is to support Nintendo’s next-generation console, avoiding Switch entirely. Remember, Microsoft wants to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo, which does not necessarily mean the Switch.   

Microsoft’s Brad Smith has also commented on the company’s deal with Nintendo by stating that they could sign a similar 10-year deal with Nintendo “any day Sony wants to sit down and talk”, implying that Sony has been unwilling to negotiate with Microsoft. 

With his statement, Brad Smith has shown regulators that Microsoft is willing to make deals with their competitors to ensure that Call of Duty remains a cross-platform franchise. It also showcases to regulators that Microsoft is willing to do whatever they want to let their acquisition of Activision Blizzard happen. 

At this time, it is unknown how regulators will react to Microsoft’s latest commitments and how these commitments will impact Microsoft’s chances of getting their Activision Blizzard deal approved. 

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