Microsoft Signs 10-Year “Call of Duty” Deal With Nintendo

Microsoft and Nintendo have signed a 10-year contract to release Call of Duty on the consoles of the Japanese corporation. Their joint statement only refers to the shooter series, but Microsoft President Brad Smith noted that the deal also covers other games from Microsoft and Activision.

The agreement implies a simultaneous release with other platforms, as well as full parity in terms of mechanics and content. The contract between Microsoft and Nintendo looks, to put it mildly, strange, given that the former has not yet bought ActiBlizz and is not the full owner of Call of Duty.

The agreement came amid a merger investigation by antitrust regulators. Departments in the UK and the US are confident that such a deal will harm the gaming industry. The same position is taken by Sony, which believes that Microsoft will make the Call of Duty series its own exclusive.