Call of Duty on Nintendo has been a hot topic of conversation of late. Mostly stemming from the back and forth between Microsoft and regulators over its proposed Activision Blizzard deal.
The $68.7 Billion acquisition would be the largest acquisition in the history of the industry. If it ends up going through. It’s yet to be approved by the FTC following disapproval by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority and approval by the EU. One constant area of concern has been the future of Call of Duty. To which Xbox CEO Phil Spencer offered numerous deals to Sony and others to keep Call of Duty on respective platforms, or bring it to others where it wasn’t yet available, one of which is Nintendo.
During the latest day of Microsoft’s ongoing court case with the FTC over the acquisition, it’s been revealed that PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan says Call of Duty doesn’t fit with Nintendo’s core audience. Interestingly, Nintendo has been an ongoing area of argument throughout this case and in prior proceedings.
Most recently during his deposition, Ryan says Nintendo wouldn’t be impacted the same way as PlayStation should the acquisition go through. The CEO doesn’t believe Nintendo is a true competitor to Xbox and PlayStation. Stating that it operates in a very different market.
Nintendo audience isn’t concerned with Call of Duty
This is essentially the argument that Ryan is trying to make. Noting that the same player base who enjoys Mario and Zelda is different from the one that enjoys the Call of Duty series.
Perhaps to some degree that’s true. Call of Duty’s take on serious themes is very different from most Teen or Mature rated titles on Nintendo. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Nintendo players wouldn’t want Call of Duty access. Many consumers who own a Switch also own other gaming platforms. And those that don’t might play Call of Duty if it was available.
Of course, that’s neither here nor there. Because at the moment the franchise is limited to Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. There’s also the question of whether the Switch could even handle a Call of Duty game performance-wise. Perhaps Nintendo fans will see their first Call of Duty release on whatever Nintendo’s next-gen console ends up being.
2023-06-29 15:13:45