Microsoft Promises to Bring ‘Call of Duty’ to Nintendo Under 10-Year Pact If Activision Blizzard Deal Is Approved

Todd Spangler
·2 min read
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Microsoft, in a bid to get its mammoth acquisition of Activision Blizzard approved by the FTC, announced a 10-year deal with Nintendo to make “Call of Duty” available on Nintendo platforms — for the first time — once the merger with Activision closes.

In addition, Microsoft committed to continue offering Activision’s “Call of Duty” titles on Valve’s Steam at the same time as Xbox following the closing of the Activision deal.

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“ Microsoft is committed to helping bring more games to more people – however they choose to play,” Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, tweeted Tuesday in announcing the “COD” agreements for Nintendo and Steam.

The latest promises from Microsoft come after the software giant pledged to continue producing “Call of Duty” for Sony’s PlayStation console for a minimum of 10 years if the Activision Blizzard deal is approved. Microsoft is open to making the 10-year contract with Sony “legally enforceable by regulators in the U.S., U.K. and European Union,” Microsoft president Brad Smith wrote in a Dec. 5 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, noting that the company “made a similar commitment to the European Commission” to ensure access to key technologies to competitors when Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016. Sony has not commented on Microsoft’s “Call of Duty” offer but has voiced opposition to the Activision takeover.

In January, Microsoft announced its $69 billion bid for Activision Blizzard, which would be the biggest-ever acquisition in the video-game business. The companies have said they expect the deal to close in June 2023.

The FTC is expected to discuss the antitrust implications of Microsoft’s proposed deal for Activision Blizzard at a closed meeting Thursday, as the agency is reportedly planning to launch a lawsuit seeking to block the deal. The concern among regulators is that Microsoft could favor its own Xbox consoles for Activision Blizzard titles at the expense of rivals like Sony and Nintendo.

Meanwhile, the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority antitrust regulator has an active investigation into whether the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal would reduce competition in the market.

“Call of Duty” is Activision Blizzard’s best-selling game. According to Activision Blizzard, the latest installment in the the first-person shooter franchise, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II,” hit $1 billion in worldwide sales in the first 10 days after its Oct. 28 release — beating the previous franchise record of 15 days set in 2012 by “Call of Duty: Black Ops II.”

VIP+ Analysis: ‘MWII’ Success Key for Activision Blizzard

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