Call of Duty is coming to Nintendo platforms, starting with the Switch, thanks to a 10-year deal with Microsoft.
This announcement came courtesy of Xbox CEO Phil Spencer, who announced it on Twitter (tags were removed for better readability).
Microsoft has entered into a 10-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo following the merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King. Microsoft is committed to helping bring more games to more people – however they choose to play. I'm also pleased to confirm that Microsoft has committed to continue to offer Call of Duty on Steam simultaneously to Xbox after we have closed the merger with Activision Blizzard King.
Although the deal may seem like it came out of the left field, it is not that surprising. Spencer already previously mentioned their plans if the Activision Blizzard deal pushes through. They mentioned that it would be like what they did with Minecraft, where they made it available to more platforms. This included the Nintendo Switch. As it turns out, Minecraft is not the only game receiving that treatment.
Other than Nintendo, Microsoft also offered a 10-year deal to Sony and Steam. This had very different results. Let's start off with Steam's reaction. Gabe Newell told Kotaku that Microsoft actually sent Steam a draft for a “long-term Call of Duty commitment.” Newell mentioned that the deal is not necessary. This is because Valve does not believe in requiring any partnered developers to just release games on Steam. Newel also mentioned that Spencer and Microsoft always follow through on what they said they'll do and that Microsoft has the motivation to release Call of Duty on all applicable platforms and devices.
Sony, on the other hand, was not as receptive. According to an interview with Bloomberg, Spencer said that Sony didn't seem interested in negotiating the deal. To be exact, he said that “From where we sit, it’s clear they’re spending more time with the regulators than they are with us to try and get this deal done.” What's funnier is that earlier near the end of November, Sony claimed that Microsft wanted to “make PlayStation like Nintendo“. Sony believes that Microsoft wants to take out PlayStation from the 18-rated shooter market. Judging from how Microsft just made a Call of Duty deal with Nintendo though, this point doesn't seem to be applicable anymore.
Either way, we still need to wait and see whether or not the deal pushes through. The UK and the EU are currently undergoing a deeper investigation into the acquisition. We may have to wait until next year to see if the multi-billion dollar deal will push through.
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