Microsoft Commits to Making Games for Nintendo

Fear not, Nintendo lovers and Switch owners! Microsoft is committing to producing games for the popular hybrid console, meaning popular franchises will be available for years to come.

In a move that would have shocked us all 20 years ago, President of Microsoft Brad Smith has announced that they will be releasing games for Nintendo systems. According to a binding agreement between Nintendo and Microsoft, Call of Duty will be releasing day-and-date on Nintendo systems at the same time as Xbox and Playstation platforms with “full feature content and parity.”

The last time a mainline Call of Duty game released on a Nintendo system was 2013’s Call of Duty: Ghosts, which was released by Activision for the Wii U. Needless to say, the Wii U’s base demographics were not typically known for their love of first-person shooters. It was more likely that a Wii U would be purchased as a “second system” in the house to enable access to Nintendo content while a more high-powered (translation: standard) console would be used for general multi-platform releases.

https://twitter.com/bradsmi/status/1627926790172811264?s=46&t=rxDLaAP9-E8nqKCwU06KyA

Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard was purchased in 2022 by Microsoft after a series of allegations were made against Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. Activision Blizzard was already considered to be a dominant force in games publishing at the time. It is possible that Microsoft’s incentive to enter into an agreement to bring content to Nintendo is to stave off Department of Justice anti-trust actions as yet another giant developer huddled under Microsoft’s umbrella.

In 2021, Microsoft purchased ZeniMax, the company that owns Bethesda Softworks, id Software, and several other game studios responsible for many multi-platform franchises like Doom, Skyrim, Fallout, Wolfenstein, and more. There is an ongoing question of whether Microsoft will choose to keep these franchises as multi-platform games, as timed exclusives, or as permanent exclusives to Windows and Xbox consoles.

There can be other advantages as well since the Nintendo Switch user base skews younger and Microsoft would probably be okay with Nintendo’s massive user-base getting more access to the Call of Duty franchise at an even younger age. Non-Microsoft titles like PUBG, Fortnite, and Fall Guys have generated significant income through Nintendo Switch micro-transactions despite being free-to-play. Many parents give into their children’s constant requests for more premium in-game currency to unlock for content.

As always, stay tuned to That Park Place for more coverage on Microsoft, Call of Duty, and the eventuality of a singular mega-corporation in charge of everything (I kid… I kid).