Microsoft locks in 10-year deal to bring CoD to Nintendo in move that seems built to spite Sony

Just when it looked like the drama between Microsoft and Sony over Microsoft’s potential acquisition of Activision-Blizzard and the company’s sacred treasure, the Call of Duty franchise, couldn’t get spicier, Microsoft took things to a whole new level—and the benefactor is Nintendo.

Microsoft inked a 10-year-deal with the iconic Japanese company to bring the franchise to Nintendo for the first time, starting with the Nintendo Switch.

This all hinges on the acquisition actually getting approved, of course.

It’s unclear when the 10-year term will begin, whether it’s right away, or at some point down the road. But Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer is looking forward to it, if or when it happens.

“Once we get into the rhythm of this, our plan would be that when [CoD] launches on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, that it would also be available on Nintendo at the same time,” he said in an interview with The Washington Post.

As for whether he’s concerned about how it’ll run on the Switch given its limited hardware, he said: “How you get games onto Nintendo, how you run a development team that is targeting multiple platforms, that’s experience we have,” implying that it won’t be an issue.

Spencer also said the ten-year term doesn’t mean the two companies will cut ties after that time, either.

“It’s just about picking an expiration date, not with the goal of ever expiring,” he said. “The legalese of a document has to say this goes through some date, but once we start working with a platform, just like we have with Minecraft, both on PlayStation and on Nintendo’s platform, our goal would be to continue to support those customers.”

Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard is expected to be finalized sometime around June 2023, but it depends on how the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation pans out.

Sony isn’t thrilled about it, claiming the sheer popularity of CoD means owning the franchise gives Microsoft an unfair competitive edge, even if Microsoft agreed to release it on PlayStation consoles on a term-by-term basis.

If the acquisition does go ahead, and the deal between Microsoft and Nintendo is locked in and ready to go, it would be a huge slap to Sony’s face, especially if they can’t come to terms on their own agreement with Microsoft.