Activision Blizzard’s “Call of Duty” franchise will finally be available to Nintendo consumers.
Microsoft has agreed to a 10-year deal with Nintendo to bring the popular shooter franchise to Nintendo gaming platforms.
A deal will be finalized depending on Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
In January, Microsoft agreed to acquire the video game holding company for $68.7 billion, but the pending transaction is facing regulatory scrutiny in the U.S., Australia, and the U.K.
- The deal can be extended after its initial 10-year period.
- The latest installment in the franchise — “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II” — passed $1 billion in sales in just 10 days after its release on Oct. 28.
Microsoft has also vowed to make “Call of Duty” available for PCs via distribution platform Steam at the same time as its release on Xbox. A similar deal is on the table for Sony, but the Japanese tech giant has yet to accept the offer, as it opposes Microsoft’s takeover of Activision.
Change of Forecast
Nintendo slashed its full-year sales forecast for the Switch — its best-selling home gaming console ever — following the release of its latest earnings report in November. The company reported $4.5 billion in sales for the six months ending Sept. 30, a 5% increase year-over-year.
Despite the growth, Nintendo has been hampered by the ongoing chip shortage.
Switch sales are projected to reach 19 million units by the end of March 2023, down from a previous projection of 21 million.
