Microsoft and Nintendo have entered into a binding legal agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo consoles for ten years. This agreement will be effective if the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by the first succeeds.
Last year, Microsoft promised 10-year contracts to bring the world’s best-selling shooter series to both Nintendo and Steam if it was successful in acquiring the franchise and its publisher.
Now, Microsoft President Brad Smith has announced on Twitter that a binding ten-year contract has been signed between his company and Nintendo.
We have now signed a binding 10-year contract to bring Xbox games to Nintendo gamers. It’s just part of our commitment to bringing 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
The statement he shared read: “Microsoft and Nintendo have negotiated and signed a legally binding ten-year agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo gamers – on the same day as Xbox, with full feature and content parity – so they can enjoy Call of Duty just like Xbox and PlayStation gamers.
“We are committed to providing equal access to Call of Duty to other gaming platforms for the long term, providing more choices for more players and more competition in the gaming market.”
In his tweet, Smith added that the company hopes to bring more Microsoft titles to Nintendo devices in the future.
“It’s part of our commitment to bring Xbox games and Activision titles like Call of Duty to more players on more platforms,” he wrote.
The Xbox company offered a similar deal to its main rival, Sony, but PlayStation boss Jim Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz that the proposal was “inadequate on several levels”.
While Call of Duty, and the possibility of it becoming exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem, has been a concern among regulators, there are also concerns that Activision Blizzard’s ownership could give Microsoft an unfair advantage in areas cloud games and subscription services.