Nintendo Secures Call of Duty for Their Upcoming Next-Gen Console.
Activision has signed a 10-year deal to bring their staple Call of Duty franchise to Nintendo consoles. Brad Smith, Microsoft’s Vice-Chairman and President said that they are “commitment to bring Xbox games and Activision titles like Call of Duty to more players on more platforms.’
A move like this could not have been made without the following two things: One, Microsoft is close to finalizing its merger deal with Activision; and two, Nintendo has an ecosystem ready for a big game like Call of Duty, and other Xbox games.
Let’s dive into them both.
A tumultuous road to the merger deal.
Microsoft started acquiring studios a few years ago in a strategy shift that will allow them to compete with the likes of Sony, which is producing high quality, triple-a, first-party games.
The computer and software giant from Seattle first started with small indie studios and then moved to big house names like Bethesda. Lately, their eyes have been on Activision, which has been in dire need of a restructuring; a consequence of massive layouts, and harassment suits.
Microsoft is having trouble trying to finalize the sale in the European market. British regulations do not allow monopolies and the case is that merging these two giants will result in a monopoly. A game like Call of Duty is at the risk of being exclusive to the Xbox.
Exclusivity is at stake
This is obviously a huge blow for Sony because they have enjoyed the benefits of signing exclusive content deals, and even getting some perks and game modes over the likes of Xbox and PC platforms.
Exclusivity was never on the table before the merger deal came afloat. Microsoft offered a 10-year deal to Sony to guarantee the game on the PlayStation 4 and 5. Sony refused the deal because they believe a number should not be discussed.
They want assurance that exclusivity will never happen. I believe they are anticipating what would happen if the contract expires.
If others do it, so can I.
Seems that Microsoft is appealing to other monopolies like Tencent in Asian and European markets to validate their point that the Activision deal is nothing out of the ordinary. On their side, there seems to be cooperation in trying to assure Sony that Call of Duty will be on their platform.
Easier said than done says the adage. One thing is showing willingness, and another is the reality of owning the IP of the most successful FPS and not sowing the benefits of that. It would be unwise not to use it to boost console sales.
Despite all this, it seems that the deal will go ahead, or that Microsoft will find a way to make it work. They have got all the resources in the world to find all the legal ways to go through with the merger.
Let’s face it, money has been sent, tweets have been made, people have spoken. If you see it, Microsoft and Activision are speaking in such a manner that it seems that the merger has already been made; it is just a matter of formality to finalize it.
The peculiar case of Nintendo’s ecosystem.
We love to anticipate and speculate when it comes to Nintendo. Our imagination runs wild when it comes to predicting what is being cooked at their HQ in Japan. I guess this comes as a sort of unrealized childhood dream; we all wanted or want to work at Nintendo at some point in our lives.
Let’s nurture that dream for a minute: Why did Nintendo agree to this 10-year deal? Or more importantly; Why does Microsoft see Nintendo as a good partner?
The digital platform.
I believe the answers lie in the ecosystem Nintendo is able to provide to Microsoft. This deal is nothing new. Microsoft and Nintendo have been wanting to collaborate for a long time.
At one point, it was speculated that a similar deal would have brought Nintendo the infrastructure necessary to provide cloud gaming services. A revamp of their digital platform was also rumored.
Nintendo has been improving in this area lately. We see how heavily they have invested resources in modernizing the Nintendo Switch’s digital store, implementing a virtual console for their past hardware, and even improved their online connectivity.
It is no secret that Nintendo’s hardware is limited compared to the Xbox and PlayStation. That is why titles like Resident Evil and other triple-a games are being brought to the Switch via cloud gaming.
This is what comes to mind when we see the 10-year deal with Microsoft. A game like Call of Duty will be available to play via cloud gaming; considering the game will have the same content available for all platforms.
Beyond the immediate future.
10 years is a long time, and the Nintendo Switch is already on its 6th year in 2023, in march, precisely. We have been eagerly waiting for Nintendo to announce the Switch Pro; a version with better hardware, capable of handling triple-a games.
Years have passed and now it seems that announcing just a hardware boost is not the best decision. At this point, Nintendo would rather announce their next console; The Nintendo Switch 2, or something along the line.
I don’t think they will abandon the dual concept: portability, and the ability to play the console on your TV. The Nintendo Switch excels in both, but people seem to prefer it for its portability.
I am not saying that the Switch 2 will be as powerful as an Xbox Series X or a PlayStation 5. However, it is evident that a big hardware improvement is awaiting.
Components are cheaper and smaller than they were 5 or 6 years ago. The silicon crisis seems to be over, and now is the time to start production on the new console. Perhaps Nintendo is already working on this.
We have seen good examples of consoles made for cloud gaming, like the Nvidia Shield. Microsoft recently announced that they are also bringing their games to the Nvidia GeForce NOW and cloud gaming services.
Cloud gaming
Coincidence? I think not! Something is definitely cooking, and cloud gaming is the main ingredient. Perhaps Nintendo’s new console will be an ecosystem capable of handling cloud gaming to a very acceptable level.
Cloud gaming is the future. Time is its biggest ally. As technologies improve and broadband internet proliferates around the world, everyone will start implementing these technologies. The market will be ready for cloud gaming sooner than later.
We already have cloud gaming everywhere. It is just not being advertised as a real alternative to regular gaming. Just remember that this was the case with digital gaming.
Back then physical copies of games were the way to go. Digital stores were starting, and they were not heavy platforms like the ones we see today. Besides, the internet was not fast enough to handle game downloads and updates.
As broadband expanded, the industry started to rely more and more on digital gaming. Now it is a good alternative to buying discs. We can also see how they offer bundles and discounts all the time. Games are now a service, with constant updates being released.
Cloud gaming is the next step the industry will make towards the future.
What if?
What if Nintendo’s next console can handle Call of Duty? That would be a great surprise for all of us. Finally, a console that is up to par with Xbox and PlayStation. Call of Duty can be a pretty demanding game in terms of resources.
If Nintendo is offering Microsoft a console that can handle its game, perhaps that is why this deal came through.
As mentioned before, Microsoft sees in Nintendo someone capable of keeping their end of the bargain. It is not like Microsoft is coming to modernize Nintendo or provide them with a lot of technical expertise or infrastructure just to run Call of Duty.
Ports, everybody gets ports.
Call of Duty is available on mobiles as well. This can also be why this deal is being made. The Nintendo Switch is perfect for mobile games, and a port of Warzone on the switch could be what this deal is all about.
I want to think this is a far-fetched ill speculation that will not become a reality. A 10-year deal with these two giants cannot be about a port of a mobile game or similar things being offered.
What helps dismantle this theory is the recent deal that Microsoft signed with Nvidia. It seems that the deal is more about cloud gaming than anything else.
Time is also a big factor here. Nintendo will be changing to their new hardware sometime through the deal. Perhaps we will see something really powerful or at least capable of handling cloud gaming. This means that Nintendo is continuously investing in their digital platform.
What are your thoughts on the deal? Will it be about cloud gaming? Will Nintendo make a very powerful successor to the Switch? Let me know in the comments below.
Happy Gaming.
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