Microsoft signs 10-year deal to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms

Microsoft has announced that it has signed a 10-year deal with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty games to the Japanese company’s platforms.

On Twitter, Microsoft president Brad Smith said this is a “binding” agreement that will see Call of Duty games come to Nintendo on the same day as Xbox, “with full feature and content parity.” Given that this is a 10-year deal and we’re nearing the end of the Switch’s life cycle, this would, presumably, primarily apply to the console-handheld hybrid’s yet-to-be-revealed successor.

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

In December, Microsoft said it had committed to a 10-year deal with Nintendo, but the February 21st announcement means that it’s now legally binding. Microsoft is making this deal in an effort to help get its pending acquisition of Call of Duty Activision Blizzard approved in the EU.

Regulators have been investigating the purchase out of concerns that such a move would be anti-competitive. PlayStation, in particular, argues that Microsoft’s ownership of Call of Duty would present the company with an unfair advantage in the market. To counter these claims, Microsoft has said it’s “committed” to bringing Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard games to platforms like PlayStation.

In his tweet about the Nintendo deal, Smith said “this is just part of our commitment to bring Xbox games and Activision titles like Call of Duty to more players on more platforms.” It should also be noted that a similar 10-year agreement has been offered to Sony, although the company has not yet agreed to the deal.

As it stands, it’s unclear if and when the Activision Blizzard acquisition may be approved, although Microsoft is hoping it will close by July. Last month, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer reiterated his confidence that the deal will be approved.

Image credit: Activision Blizzard