Microsoftand Nintendo have agreed to bringCall of Dutyand other games to Nintendo consoles. While both gamers and government agencies have scrutinizedMicrosoft for its intended acquisition of Activision Blizzardrecently, it has defended itself. Sources and analysts imply that the deal might go on without a hitch once the dust has settled.
Call of Dutyhas been one of the longest-running first-person shooter franchises around. Released by Activision, it first appeared in 2003 sporting a World War 2 setting and was playable on platforms such as PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, among other ports.Call of Dutyhas spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs, so many in fact that it has become a pillar of the first-person shooter genre. Right now, the estimated player base of the games is over 250 million and counting. This is why the titles are some of the most coveted in the industry today.
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As announced byMicrosoftVice Chair and President Brad Smith on his Twitter account, Microsoft and Nintendo have negotiated and agreed to bringCall of Dutyto Nintendo players on the same day as Xbox. The binding deal will last for at least 10 years and will see Nintendo gamers enjoyCall of Dutythe same way that Xbox and PlayStation users do in terms of features and content. Smith’s caption also implies that this won’t be the only game Microsoft will be sharing as he tweeted, “We’ve now signed a binding 10-year contract to bring Xbox games to Nintendo’s gamers.” His use of the keywords “Xbox games” implies that there’ll be other titles in the future.
While no other specific titles were mentioned, previously,Microsoft said it didn’t plan to remove multiplatform gamesfrom other consoles. It had already promised to let PlayStation owners enjoyCall of Dutyamid Sony’s heavy pushback against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft may be keen on keeping that promise to allow better connectivity for all consoles within the gaming space.
With this announcement of a legally binding contract with Nintendo, Microsoft will have to ensure that it keeps its word to avoid any trouble. The 10-year period makes it appear as though Microsoft is committed long term to its stated intent to keep Activision Blizzard games on other platforms. However,Sony continues to throw shade at Microsoft, and the company could be correct that the Xbox ecosystem may end up monopolizing things in the future. Either way, Brad Smith’s statement sounds like a good declaration of bridges being built for at least two of the companies to share assets.
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