Microsoft also plans to release Call of Duty on Nintendo consoles for the next ten years – while making its entire catalogue of games available to users of Nvidia”s Geforce Now.
Update from 7:57pm: At a press conference in Brussels, Microsoft has announced that it has also struck a ten-year deal with graphics card manufacturer and cloud service provider Nvidia. This is to guarantee that users of Geforce Now have access to the complete range of Xbox PC games as part of theirs – exactly which titles are involved was not revealed, nor was an exact launch date.
With Geforce Now, subscribers pay a monthly fee to play games remotely on a high-end computer connected to their streaming device via the Internet. If the Activision-Blizzard acquisition (see below), which is currently the subject of criticism from government agencies around the world, goes through successfully, Microsoft says the Call of Duty publisher”s games will also find their way onto Geforce Now.
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
Original news from 5:06 p.m.: Because of the planned takeover of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft is currently under quite a bit of pressure: Sony fears that Call of Duty could disappear from the Playstation in the future, and in the meantime antitrust authorities are also eyeing the case critically and considering far-reaching measures!
While the shooter brand is a big point of contention in the Activision deal, Microsoft is now making a commitment to Nintendo and wants to make Call of Duty available on the Switch in the next few years.
All features and content
The deal between Nintendo and Microsoft has already been officially announced, it is said to be legally binding, although the Activision Blizzard acquisition is yet to be finalised:
Brad Smith of Microsoft announced the deal (on Twitter), these are the key dates:
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
- (Duration): The agreement is for the next 10 years. So probably we ll get to play the next Call of Duty already on the Switch.
- (Full Release): Future CoD titles will be released on the Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo consoles on the same day. This should include all the features and content available on other platforms.
The technical implementation of a triple-A shooter on the small console naturally raises one or two questions. In principle, it should be possible to play the game on the comparatively underpowered Nintendo Switch thanks to cloud streaming. The fact that shooters can in principle also work on handhelds and mobile devices is also shown by examples such as the successful PUBG Mobile or Fortnite.
The controls with the Joy-Cons of the Nintendo Switch are rather unsuitable for shooters, but with the Pro Controller it should be possible to play a round of CoD.
An attempt at appeasement?
By the way, the timing of the announcement is probably no coincidence. Because on 21 February Microsoft also wants to justify its Activision takeover (before the European Commission). The Commission and various antitrust authorities are mainly concerned about a possible monopoly by Microsoft, which is why the Nintendo deal is emphasised:
We are committed to providing other platforms with equal access to Call of Duty in the long term, giving gamers more choice and ensuring more competition in the gaming market.
Quite obviously, Microsoft hopes to send a positive signal to the relevant authorities with the announcement. How and whether they are successful in doing so remains to be seen.
What do you think of the agreement between Microsoft and Nintendo? Would you play a new Call of Duty on the Switch? Or would you prefer PC or (big) console? Have you ever played a mobile shooter and had a good experience? Feel free to post your opinion in the comments!
