Microsoft and Nintendo have entered a 10-year legal agreement to bring Xbox games to Nintendo platforms. The announcement comes by way of Microsoft president and vice chair Brad Smith, who revealed the deal via Twitter.
Microsoft and Nintendo Contract Details
According to Smith, the decade-long contract will “bring Xbox games to Nintendo’s gamers,” with Activision’s Call of Duty franchise cited as an example. “This is just part of our commitment to bring Xbox games and Activision titles like Call of Duty to more players on more platforms.”
Smith’s tweet includes an image with text that explains the deal in somewhat more detail and with further emphasis on Call of Duty. “Microsoft and Nintendo have now negotiated and signed a binding 10-year legal agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo players – the same day as Xbox, with full feature and content parity – so they can experience Call of Duty just as Xbox and PlayStation gamers enjoy Call of Duty,” says the statement. “We are committed to providing long term equal access to Call of Duty to other gaming platforms, bringing more choice to more players and more competition to the gaming market.”
Whether Nintendo gamers will be eager to play Activision’s military shooter on their console of choice remains to be seen. Call of Duty: Ghosts was the last time the franchise made an appearance on a Nintendo console (Wii U). It will also be interesting to see how this deal will impact other Microsoft titles going forward.