Microsoft president Brad Smith has announced that the company has signed a new 10-year deal with Nintendo to bring Xbox games including Call of Duty to Nintendo consoles. Microsoft gaming boss Phil Spencer had previously announced something similar in December 2022. With the new deal, Microsoft is fulfilling its promise to the Federal Trade Commission to bring Call of Duty to other platforms including Nintendo if its $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition deal is approved. Sony has challenged this deal in the US, UK, and EU over concerns that Microsoft could make Call of Duty an Xbox exclusive title, giving Xbox consoles competitive edge over PlayStation consoles.
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
Microsoft has repeatedly said that it is not planning to make Call of Duty an Xbox exclusive. As part of its commitment to keep Call of Duty on multiple platforms, Microsoft has signed a 10-year deal with Nintendo to bring Xbox games to Nintendo consoles on the same day as Xbox with “full feature and content parity.” This will allow Nintendo players to experience Call of Duty titles just like Xbox and PlayStation players. Smith said, “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.”
The FTC has sued Microsoft over potential antitrust claims, blocking the acquisition deal that was announced in January 2022. The company has been unable to strike a deal similar to Nintendo with Sony. Besides these, Sony has approached regulators to try and quash the Activision Blizzard acquisition deal altogether. It remains to be seen how the acquisition deal goes forward and how it affects the world of gaming.
