Amidst the drama of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, the tech giant has confirmed Call of Duty will be on Nintendo platforms in the future. Despite Sony’s best efforts to put a halt to the deal, it seems Microsoft is going ahead with long-term plans. Announcing a 10-year deal with Nintendo, Phil Spencer stated that the franchise is coming to the Japanese giant’s consoles.
Here’s what we know so far.
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Phil Spencer commits to bringing Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms for 10 years
Phil Spencer’s entire statement on the deal is as follows:
“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.”
While this is great news for Nintendo users, it is unknown when the deal kicks in. Additionally, this deal hinges on courts ruling in Microsoft’s favor regarding the merger. Sony has been fighting tooth and nail to keep Microsoft from acquiring Activision-Blizzard so far. Sony states the monopoly on the Call of Duty franchise will benefit Xbox unfairly. Claiming Call of Duty is critical to PlayStation’s success Sony is fighting the merger on anti-compete grounds.
However, Microsoft has been adamant that they won’t be introducing exclusivity to the COD franchise. Stating that they offered Sony a 10-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, the deal with Nintendo corroborates Microsoft’s claims. At the time of writing, no decision has been made on the merger.
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