Microsoft and Nintendo have signed a 10-year deal to bring Xbox games to Nintendo platforms. Microsoft President Brad Smith announced the deal in a tweet, which affirmed that Call of Duty will come to Nintendo platforms if its Activision Blizzard acquisition formally closes.
Ever since Microsoft announced its intent to purchase Activision Blizzard, the company has maintained that it intends to keep games like Call of Duty multiplatform. It even went one step farther, sayingg that it would bring the series to Nintendo devices. Now, Microsoft and Nintendo have officially signed a “binding 10-year contract,” says 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,” tweets Smith. “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.”
Smith’s statement leaves a bit of ambiguity. The statement focuses on Call of Duty specifically, but Smith’s tweet says that the deal will bring “Xbox games” to Nintendo fans. Notably, Smith doesn’t use the word platform or systems when talking about the deal, instead using “Nintendo gamers” and “Nintendo players.”
Digital Trends has reached out to Microsoft for clarity and will update this story when it responds.
It’s important to note that Microsoft does not actually own Call of Duty at the moment, as the company is currently struggling to close its Activision Blizzard deal. The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has voiced concern over the deal, claiming that it could “harm U.K. gamers.” Earlier this month, the CMA posted a notice of possible remedies, which included removing Call of Duty from the deal entirely. It’s currently unclear if Microsoft and Nintendo’s deal is entirely contingent on Call of Duty or if Microsoft intends to put other Xbox games on Nintendo platforms even if that deal falls through.
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