According to KitGuru.net, Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard required the company to sign 10-year agreements with both Nintendo and Sony guaranteeing Call of Duty’s availability on their platforms. The last Call of Duty title on a Nintendo console was Call of Duty: Ghosts for the Wii U back in 2013. New job listings spotted by Insider Gaming show Sledgehammer Games seeking developers with “AAA mobile or Switch experience.” Sledgehammer is believed to be developing COD 2027, while Infinity Ward handles COD 2026. This suggests Microsoft is finally making progress on bringing the franchise to Nintendo’s upcoming Switch 2 console after more than a decade absence.
The Nintendo Comeback Story
Here’s the thing – Call of Duty on Nintendo has always been a tough sell. The last attempt was Ghosts on Wii U in 2013, and let’s be honest, that platform wasn’t exactly swimming in third-party support. Now we’re looking at a potential 14-year gap between Nintendo COD releases. That’s basically an entire gaming generation where Nintendo players missed out on one of gaming’s biggest franchises.
But the Switch changed everything. Nintendo’s hybrid console proved that you don’t need cutting-edge hardware to dominate the market. With over 140 million units sold, skipping the Switch 2 would mean ignoring a massive installed base. Microsoft isn’t stupid – they know there’s money on the table, and those 10-year deals weren’t just regulatory theater.
The Technical Hurdles
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: performance. The Switch 2 is rumored to be more powerful than its predecessor, but we’re still talking about a mobile chipset competing with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. How do you scale down a game like Call of Duty that’s built for high-end hardware?
The job listing specifically mentions “AAA mobile or Switch experience,” which tells me they’re not just doing a simple port. They’re likely building a custom version or at least seriously optimizing the engine. This isn’t about matching the visual fidelity of other platforms – it’s about delivering the core COD experience that Nintendo players have been missing.
What This Means for Everyone
For Nintendo, this is huge. Getting Call of Duty back legitimizes the Switch 2 as a serious platform for third-party support. For Microsoft, it’s about expanding the franchise’s reach and making good on those acquisition promises. And for Sony? Well, they’re probably not thrilled about losing one of their console war talking points.
The real winners here are Nintendo gamers who’ve been stuck watching COD from the sidelines. Imagine being able to play the latest Call of Duty on your TV, then taking that same experience on the go. That’s the Switch magic that could actually make COD feel fresh again.
Basically, we’re looking at a win-win situation. Microsoft fulfills its obligations and taps into a new market, Nintendo gets a major franchise back, and players get more choice. The only question now is whether Black Ops 7 will join the party or if we’ll have to wait until 2027. Either way, the console landscape just got more interesting.
