Nintendo and Microsoft have agreed to a legally binding 10-year deal that would allow Call of Duty to be released on Nintendo systems on the same day as it is on Xbox.
On announcing the agreement earlier today, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith said on Twitter that it was “simply part of [Microsoft’s] commitment to bring Xbox games and Activision properties like Call of Duty to more gamers on more platforms.”
As part of the agreement, Call of Duty will be available to Nintendo players “exactly as Call of Duty is available to Xbox and PlayStation gamers.” The whole statement is as follows:
“Microsoft and Nintendo have now negotiated and signed a binding 10-year legal agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo players – the same day as Xbox, with full feature and content parity – so they can experience Call of Duty just as Xbox and PlayStation gamers enjoy Call of Duty.
“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 revelation comes in the wake of Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, which was met with fierce opposition from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the US Federal Trade Commission. The deal’s potential to undermine competition for gaming consoles, subscription services, and cloud gaming has been a major source of worry.
Nintendo gaming systems haven’t had much Call of Duty in recent years. Call of Duty: Ghosts for the Wii U was the last game to be released for Nintendo consoles in 2013.