Microsoft, in an effort to get its massive acquisition of Activision Blizzard approved by the Federal Trade Commission, has announced a 10-year deal with Nintendo to make Call of Duty available on Nintendo platforms — for the first time — after closing the merger with Activision.
Additionally, Microsoft has committed to continuing to offer “Call of Duty” on Valve’s Steam at the same time as Xbox after the shutdown. The latest promises from Microsoft come after the software giant vowed to continue offering “Call of Duty” for the Sony PlayStation console for at least another 10 years if the Activision Blizzard deal is approved.
“Microsoft is committed to helping bring more games to more people — however they choose to play,” Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, said. chirp Tuesday at the announcement of the Nintendo and Steam agreement.
In January, Microsoft announced its $69 billion bid for Activision Blizzard, which would be the largest ever video game acquisition. The companies said they expect to close the deal by mid-2023.
The antitrust implications of Microsoft’s proposed deal for Activision Blizzard are expected to be discussed at a closed meeting of the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday, as the agency weighs concerns that Microsoft may favor its Xbox consoles for titles from Activision Blizzard at the expense of competitors like Sony and Nintendo.
Call of Duty is very popular. According to Activision Blizzard, the latest installment in the franchise, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II,” generated $1 billion in global sales in the first 10 days after its October 28 release — surpassing the previous franchise record of 15 days set in 2012 by “Call of Duty: Black Ops II.”
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