Big moves are reshaping the future of Call of Duty. With Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 officially confirmed and celebrities reportedly set to appear in the game, Microsoft is making waves on another front too: it has locked in a decade-long deal to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms.
The timing is no coincidence. The announcement comes as Microsoft faces scrutiny from the European Commission this week, as part of ongoing antitrust hearings regarding its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft president Brad Smith revealed that the company has signed a binding 10-year contract to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo consoles, with the same release dates and content as Xbox. The games will launch with "full feature and content parity," ensuring that Nintendo players won’t miss out on any core experiences.
"We are committed to providing long-term equal access to Call of Duty to other gaming platforms," Microsoft said in a statement. "We want to bring more choice to more players and foster more competition in the gaming market."
Smith took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the news, posting:
"We’ve now signed a binding 10-year contract to bring Xbox games to Nintendo’s gamers. This is part of our commitment to bring Xbox games and Activision titles like Call of Duty to more players on more platforms."
This deal with Nintendo has been one of Microsoft’s key strategies to reassure regulators. Concerns have swirled that if the acquisition goes through, Microsoft could make Call of Duty an Xbox exclusive.
By securing a legally binding agreement with Nintendo and offering a similar 10-year deal to Sony’s PlayStation, Microsoft is attempting to counter these fears and keep the regulators at bay.
The timing of this announcement is critical. Microsoft is set to appear before the European Commission this week to defend the acquisition. Regulators in Europe, the UK, and the US have all raised red flags over the potential impact on competition. In the UK, watchdogs have suggested that Microsoft could be forced to spin off Activision or exclude Call of Duty from the deal entirely. Meanwhile, the US FTC is actively suing to block the acquisition and the case still ongoing.
A final decision from the EU is expected in April.
Beyond the regulatory chess game, fans of Call of Duty can look forward to Black Ops 7, which is now officially in the pipeline. Rumour has it that several celebrities will be lending their voices to the new installment, adding an extra layer of star power to one of gaming’s biggest franchises.
And now, with the Nintendo deal in place, Call of Duty’s future looks broader than ever — provided Microsoft can navigate the regulatory minefield ahead.
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