Microsoft somehow thinks Nintendo hardware can run Call of Duty for the next 10 years

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has announced on Twitter that Microsoft and Nintendo have entered into an agreement to bring Call of Duty titles to Nintendo platforms for a decade following the completion of the Xbox’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In a subsequent tweet, Spencer added that Call of Duty would continue to release on Steam on the same day and date as the Xbox Store going forward.

Since Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition announcement, there have been multiple reports about Call of Duty series becoming exclusive to Xbox platforms and also coming to Game Pass services. Most of the debate revolves around PlayStation because Sony is stirring up the most headlines with statements like Microsoft owning Call of Duty may influence players’ choice of console, despite multiple assurances from Phil Spencer and other Microsoft executives that the franchise will remain multiplatform.

Microsoft has entered into a 10-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to @Nintendo following the merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King.  Microsoft is committed to helping bring more games to more people – however they choose to play. @ATVI_AB

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) December 7, 2022

The biggest question from this Microsoft Nintendo agreement is how well Switch can handle the performance of a game along the lines of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Switch’s capability to handle demanding and highly intensive games has always been questioned. Call of Duty series being one of the most demanding video game franchises, Nintendo Switch would be incapable of running Warzone 2.0 or Modern Warfare II without significant sacrifices in various spots.

Related: Sony believes Microsoft owning Call of Duty devs Activision Blizzard may influence console choice

Phil Spencer, in his statement, did not mention which Call of Duty games would be coming to Nintendo platform as part of the deal, though. There is a possibility of the previous Call of Duty games being remastered and re-released on Switch or an upcoming new console from Nintendo. Also, there is always the potential for prior Call of Duty games to be released as cloud versions — that’s how Nintendo Switch can run many current third-party games, and Xbox is no stranger to pushing these cloud-based services.