The 10-year agreement between Microsoft and Nintendo for Call of Duty has been formalized, and as a result, Call of Duty will be released on Nintendo consoles simultaneously with Xbox. These Call of Duty games will be playable on Nintendo platforms with “complete feature and content parity,” according to Microsoft.
Microsoft has been striving to demonstrate to regulatory bodies like the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that the 70 Billion Dollar acquisition of Activision does not constitute any monopolistic action and would not hurt rivals like PlayStation since the acquisition was announced last year. Yet, Microsoft hasn’t exactly had the easiest time of it. To respond, however, the company has been proactive in its attempts to win the FTC’s approval, even telling Sony that Call of Duty titles will continue to arrive on Playstation and vowing to deliver Call of Duty to Nintendo gear.
Brad Smith, the president and vice chairman of Microsoft, just revealed on Twitter the definitive 10-year deal for Microsoft to distribute Call of Duty titles to Nintendo users. Here is the complete statement Smith made on behalf of Microsoft:
Microsoft Deals with Nintendo for 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,” Microsoft said in a statement, that was tweeted by company president Brad Smith.
“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 exact release date and how the games will function on Nintendo platforms are still unknown. There are three possibilities: either the games will launch as Cloud Versions with significant visual compromises, or the commitment won’t start until Nintendo introduces its next-gen consoles.
