It’s official. Call of Duty is finally coming to our beloved handheld console Nintendo Switch.
This had always been a part of every gamer’s imagination. Everyone has thought about what it could feel like to play this beloved FPS on a handheld console. However, the series has never been released on the platform. There are various reasons why Nintendo Switch hasn’t revived a Call of Duty game.
The very first, it related to the Power that the handheld device has. It is relatively less compared to PlayStation and Xbox counterparts. But the boss of Xbox, Phil Spencer says otherwise. Power hasn’t been the component to stop this game from coming to the handheld device.
Call of Duty is one insane video game franchise. It is also one of the first classic fps games. And it looks like this game is now confirmed to come to the smaller console. The merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard has been the talk in gaming. It looks like the game has now reached under Microsoft’s wing. That’s when the Head of Xbox confirmed that Microsoft had agreed to a ten-year deal to bring the Call of Duty franchise to Nintendo Consoles. Spencer’s tweet said,
“Microsoft has entered into a 10-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo following the merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King. Microsoft is committed to helping bring more games to people – however, they choose to play.”
Microsoft has entered into a 10-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to @Nintendo following the merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King. Microsoft is committed to helping bring more games to more people – however they choose to play. @ATVI_AB
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) December 7, 2022
Spencer also had other things to say about the game. In an interview with The Washington Post, he revealed that the first year is still in shambles. The deal is known as “The deal does not specify the first year a Call of Duty title would be available on the Nintendo Switch.” He also confirms that the “development work to make [Call of Duty] happen would likely take a little time.” The reason behind it is its obvious hardware limitations. He lastly added, “the entire portfolio would still have to be looked at to see which titles make it over to the Switch.”
With this, we can have assumptions. It could mean we could get brand new Call of Duty titles on Switch. Also, we could have a ported version of the older games. It’s great news for every Call of Duty fan. Spencer also tweeted about the release segments of the game. It’s confirmed that their agreement with Steam will offer a same-day release on PC. Phil said that once it’s on Switch, the new titles will release simultaneously on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo.
While it is good news for all Nintendo fans, not everyone is happy with the information. The rivalry between Microsoft and Sony is a big thing in the gaming market, and that’s why Sony was always against the merger. Sony claims that the union would be bad for market competition. However, many believe it’s only bad for Sony, not the market.
Regarding the matter, Brad Smith, the Microsoft president, tweeted. “Our acquisition will bring Call of Duty to more gamers and more platforms than ever before. That’s good for competition and good for consumers. Thank you, Nintendo. Any day Sony wants to sit down and talk, we’ll be happy to hammer out a 10-year deal for PlayStation.”
The only concern most people have about this 10-year deal. That it doesn’t guarantee the availability of COD and other Activision Blizzard games to subscription services other than Microsoft’s Game Pass, that is the reason Sony’s concern about competition in the market is kind of valid. Microsoft could really be the king of gaming subscriptions by making Call of Duty, Overwatch, and other Activision Blizzard games exclusive to Game Pass.
Besides all the news, we believe all of us will be happy to get Call of Duty on the Switch. With so many COD fans with the console, we could enjoy newer or older games on the platform. How they will handle the deal and development of the game is up to them, we are here to enjoy the game XD.
That’s all there is about the return of the Call of Duty series to Nintendo Consoles. The agreement is for a whopping 10 years and could also be extended later. So, until then, we will be able to enjoy the title in the coming days.
