Nintendo signs a ten-year Call of Duty deal with Microsoft

More Xbox games expected to follow according to Microsoft

Industry rivals Nintendo and Microsoft have just signed a legal agreement that will see Call of Duty on Nintendo platforms for at least ten years, once Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard is completed.

Microsoft’s bold promise of bringing the chart-topping first-person shooter to Nintendo as well as Steam is now closer than ever to being a reality after it was revealed that a ten-year contract has been officially signed between both parties.

If everything proceeds as planned, Call of Duty will be available to Nintendo gamers on the same day as the Xbox and PlayStation releases, with the same range of features and content.

As well as providing long-term equal availability to the Call of Duty franchise across all gaming platforms going forward, Microsoft also assured that the company will make it a priority to bring other iconic Microsoft titles to Nintendo in the near future.

According to inside sources, Microsoft also approached its main competitor Sony with a similar deal, however, it has been reported that the offer was rejected.

The deal with Nintendo hinges on Microsoft gaining ownership of Activision Blizzard. The initial acquisition proposal was made in January 2022; however, Microsoft is still facing regulatory roadblocks from multiple commissions.

The European Commission, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, and the US Federal Trade Commission have all investigated the proposed acquisition, with the European Commission going so far as issuing a formal antitrust warning against Microsoft’s merger as recently as last month.

Microsoft is set to meet the European Commission today in a hearing that could prove pivotal to the prospective takeover of Activision Blizzard, with the Commission’s final decision on the matter expected to be announced by March 23, 2023.

With the hearing for the Federal Trade Commission’s legal complaint of the acquisition scheduled for August 2, 2023, and the Competition and Market Authority releasing its initial findings of the takeover’s potential to harm both competition and consumers long-term, the merger is by no means a done deal yet.

Despite all the legal obstacles though, the deal is expected to go through and be completed ahead of Microsoft and Activision’s scheduled deadline of June 30, 2023.

While Call of Duty being available on all platforms might seem like a great idea at first, regulators are worried that by owning Activision Blizzard among other studios, Microsoft will ultimately have an unfair advantage long-term when it comes to cloud gaming, subscription services, and publishing rights.