While Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard is still being investigated, that hasn’t stopped the software giant from inking a deal with Nintendo to bring the Call of Duty franchise to Nintendo platforms.
This was announced by Xbox division boss Phil Spencer over on Twitter, where he also confirmed that they are committed to continue bringing Call of Duty on Steam.
I'm also pleased to confirm that Microsoft has committed to continue to offer Call of Duty on @Steam simultaneously to Xbox after we have closed the merger with Activision Blizzard King. @ATVI_AB @ValveSoftware
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) December 7, 2022
I’m also pleased to confirm that Microsoft has committed to continue to offer Call of Duty on @Steam
simultaneously to Xbox after we have closed the merger with Activision Blizzard King. @ATVI_AB @ValveSoftware
No word on when we’ll see this Nintendo deal start, though given the acquisition is far from being final, that could be for quite some time. That said, we have seen Call of Duty games appear on Nintendo franchise before, and if we see a new entry in the franchise in 2023 — and the deal is finalized within the year — don’t be surprised to see the series grace Nintendo platforms once again.
Speaking to the Washington Post, Spencer offers a bit more insight into Call of Duty’s Nintendo re-emergence:
“You can imagine if [the deal] closed on that date, starting to do development work to make that happen would likely take a little bit of time,” Spencer said, referring to the June 2023 date the merger is supposed to close, if it is not blocked by regulators. “Once we get into the rhythm of this, our plan would be that when [a Call of Duty game] launches on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, that it would also be available on Nintendo at the same time.”
Do you trust Microsoft to keep video games’ biggest franchise on both Steam and competing console platforms? Sound off and leave a comment below to let us know.
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