Call of Duty on Nintendo will be same as Xbox

Microsoft has confirmed that if its big acquisition of Activision Blizzard goes ahead, its Nintendo version of Call of Duty will be the same as the Xbox version.

A new statement from Microsoft and Nintendo has confirmed that future Call of Duty games could be coming to Nintendo platforms, and they’ll be the same as the Xbox versions.

Xbox head Phil Spencer previously said in December that Microsoft would bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms, saying the two companies had entered into an agreement to bring the hit franchise to Nintendo, where it has been absent for many years.

That deal is contingent on regulators approving Microsoft’s proposed $100 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a deal that’s been under investigation for over a year. Microsoft claims it made a similar offer to Sony to ensure the game stays on PlayStation consoles, but Sony has yet to publicly respond.

The new statement from Microsoft says that it and Nintendo entered into a legally binding agreement to ensure Call of Duty comes to Nintendo platforms. Not only that, Microsoft says that the games will be the same on Nintendo as they are on Xbox and any other platform they come to.

“Microsoft and Nintendo have now negotiated and signed a binding 10-year legal agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo players,” the statement reads, “The same day as Xbox, and with full feature and content parity, so they can experience Call of Duty just as Xbox and PlayStation gamers enjoy Call of Duty”.

The company continued, “We are committed to providing long term equal access to Call of Duty, bringing more choice to more players and more competition to the gaming market”.

We’ve now signed a binding 10-year contract to bring Xbox games to Nintendo’s gamers. This is just part of our commitment to bring Xbox games and Activision titles like Call of Duty to more players on more platforms. pic.twitter.com/JmO0hzw1BO

— Brad Smith (@BradSmi) February 21, 2023

Curiously, the statement was shared to Twitter by Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith, who notably said that the company had “signed a binding 10-year contract to bring Xbox games to Nintendo’s gamers”. It’s not known if the deal includes other Xbox games, or if Smith was just being vague.

Many believe that the timing of the announcement is to head off a discussion with EU regulators due to take place today. The discussions are said to be “pivotal” to the success of the acquisition, and will include Spencer, PlayStation head Jim Ryan, and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick.

It’s unlikely that current Call of Duty games will appear on the Nintendo Switch, unless Microsoft uses cloud streaming. Picture: Nintendo

It’s thought that the deal with Nintendo could be used by Microsoft as leverage in the discussions, in an attempt to prove that Microsoft is happy to share its content with other platform holders.

Despite public discussion focusing on Call of Duty, Spencer recently said that the deal was not “all about Call of Duty” for Microsoft. Instead, the company says it’s primarily about Activision’s mobile division, King, saying that the most growth in the games industry comes from mobile gaming.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.