Microsoft and Nintendo have entered into a ten-year agreement to bring the popular Call of Duty game to the Nintendo platforms.
The deal between the American tech company and the Japanese maker of games and gaming consoles shows that companies are more willing to share important titles at a time when there are many acquisitions in the sector.
The agreement is still conditional on the accomplishment of the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the developer of Call of Duty, by Microsoft. The deal announced at the beginning of this year is worth $69 billion. The acquisition of Activision, which is also behind titles like World of Warcraft and Guitar Hero, would make Microsoft the third-largest gaming corporation in the world.
The acquisition of Activision is being investigated by, among others, the European Commission. In addition, there are fears that popular games can only be played on Microsoft’s Xbox with the deal. Microsoft tried to reassure concerned gamers by saying that Call of Duty would also remain available for rival Sony’s PlayStation. But Sony doesn’t believe that. That Japanese company considers Microsoft’s offer, equal to the deal with Nintendo, temporary and inadequate.
Microsoft remains confident that the Activision acquisition will be approved by regulators. The company expects the acquisition to be completed before the summer. Microsoft executives will meet with the US Federal Trade Commission about the deal on Wednesday.
Microsoft also said it plans to offer Call of Duty on Valve’s Steam platform at the same time it releases for the Xbox. “Our goal is to become more relevant on more screens,” Xbox division head Phil Spencer told Bloomberg TV. “We have a pretty good awareness of how to build a win-win association with Nintendo and, quite frankly, Sony.”
