Call of Duty (COD) may hit a Nintendo platform near you in the near future if things go as Microsoft plans.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer says the company has entered a ten-year commitment to bring COD to Nintendo.
But the deal is not assured just yet.
Bringing COD to Nintendo platforms hinges on Microsoft’s potential acquisition of COD publisher Activision.
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. @ATVI_AB @ValveSoftware
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) December 7, 2022
The potential acquisition is under scrutiny in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Sony is also raising antitrust concerns over the deal and potentially losing a must-have title on its platforms.
But Microsoft says it wants to bring COD to more people.
“Sony, as the industry leader, says it is worried about Call of Duty, but we’ve said we are committed to making the same game available on the same day on both Xbox and PlayStation,” said Microsoft on Tuesday. “We want people to have more access to games, not less.”
Microsoft President Brad Smith says the the company is willing to work with Sony on the issue.
Our acquisition will bring Call of Duty to more gamers and more platforms than ever before. That’s good for competition and good for consumers. Thank you @Nintendo. Any day @Sony wants to sit down and talk, we’ll be happy to hammer out a 10-year deal for PlayStation as well. https://t.co/m1IQxdeo6n
— Brad Smith (@BradSmi) December 7, 2022
Because of COD’s violent and graphic content, it may not seem like the kind of title that Nintendo would bring home.
But COD wouldn’t be the first violent or graphic game on one of Nintendo’s platforms; it’s not all Marios and Kirbys.
Nintendo usually gravitates toward a younger audience and friendlier content, but games like Resident Evil exist on their systems.
In the 1990s, players had to enter a code into the original Mortal Kombat to change sweat to blood on the SNES version.
If Microsoft successfully acquires Activision, the Switch will be the first Nintendo system it brings Call of Duty to.