Microsoft, Nintendo reach 10-year 'Call of Duty' agreement

Jesse Grant/Getty Images Entertainment

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Nintendo (OTCPK:NTDOY) have come to a deal that will bring Activision Blizzard's (NASDAQ:ATVI) best-selling videogame franchise Call of Duty to Nintendo's gaming platforms for 10 years - part of a recent push from Microsoft to reassure regulators who are lining up to oppose Microsoft's $69B acquisition of Activision.

That deal is subject to an extension, Xbox chief Phil Spencer says.

He also told Bloomberg that a similar offer to Sony (NYSE:SONY) to offer same-day access to the game on its PlayStation platform has so far been rebuffed.

"Microsoft is committed to helping bring more games to more people - however they choose to play," Spencer said on Twitter.

He also confirmed that Microsoft committed to continue to offer the game on the popular PC game platform Steam simultaneously with Xbox, once the company has closed its acquisition.

The news is part of a recent full-court press by Microsoft to secure support for its deal. Microsoft President Brad Smith is reportedly heading to Washington to meet with FTC commissioners to urge them not to pursue antitrust action against the merger.

Comments

[tunawish]

Is the Switch a viable platform to play COD? Not a gamer, asking for a friend..

[cssys]

looking for growth in a shrinking hobby..

[MoneyPig]

Really, MSFT is a software licensing company. This is just a waste of shareholder money. Why not give an 89 billion dividend? No, they have to go and destroy another business. Only winners here are ATVI shareholders.

I will take side bets on this. If MSFT buys ATVI, every franchise will be gone and forgotten in a few years time. Azure is software and fits the MSFT business model. MSFT is good at nothing else.

Skype is dead. NOKIA is dead. MSNBC is a waste of money. Bing is dying a slow death. The Surface Tablet is dying a slow death. Add all this up and it's a huge waste of shareholder money.

[purrpullberra]

@MoneyPig lol
Hot take from a pig: Microsoft is in the software business.
🙄

[Speculation Artist]

Wow! Microsoft made the 10-year-deal with Sony to secure its acquisition!

[mac ron]

Microsoft also has a deal with Samsungs new subscription service, similar to Apple arcade, seemingly. With Sony play station going digital, I also suspect that game discs will go the way of DVDs and CDs. On line downloading is a better model when most have high speed broadband.

[purrpullberra]

There's no way anyone can demonstrate with facts how such a merger would harm gamers.
New devs will grow up out of the huge group and create lots of new.IP.
All this is about continuing revenue on PS, XBOX and PC. What isn't about mobile of course.
Why would MSFT stop selling it on Sony hardware when those are the people most in love with the IP?
It's even better for Sony fans. They could justify getting an Xbox and game pass by just not buying one full price Playstation game a year for 5 years. Get an SeriesS and game pass for the same price and get CoD for free! That means only missing on 4 games on Playstation and gaining a thousand games on Game Pass added to their lives.
That's all win-win-win.
Smith and Satya at the top are going to extreme lengths to continue to prove this isn't the predatory MSFT of uber-predatory Bill Gates and the maniacal Ballmer, noting Ballmer did start Azure helping ensure MSFT would be strong #2 in the cloud.
I think it goes so well that MSFT will learn they could possibly buy EA as well if they keep up the openness and playing well with others.
Several new titles will come out in 5-6 years from some top shelf devs that leave Activision/Blizzard after getting modestly wealthy.
But I admit I'm optimistic.

[BigDaddyBoog]

@purrpullberra sounds good except fk an Xbox and especially fk a series s.

[CashNdaBone]

What? Are there any COD games that have come out on any nintendo platform recently?

[purrpullberra]

@CashNdaBone no. Proving MSFT wants this title on as many platforms as possible. It's an exceptionallly smart move.
Cuz even if people say "well, it's self serving to do this" -- well yes that's the point, that's why CoD will stay on Playstation too!
No way they'd ever make up the lost revenue on Xbox, PC and even Nintendo (I assume). I hope MSFT commits to keeping it the same price on all platforms which means $10cheaper on Playstation, last I checked at least.

[Jacobin777]

One down, a few more to go.