Microsoft Readies Big Guns For Activision Merger, Signs Major Nintendo And NVIDIA Deals

Microsoft has announced two 10-year deals today that have been signed, sealed, and delivered. The first is between itself and Nintendo. In a tweet, Smith confirmed that deal had been closed between the two tech giants as part of Microsoft's commitment "to bring Xbox games and Activision titles like Call of Duty to more players on more platforms." The second deal is with NVIDA GeForce NOW, and will bring Xbox PC games to the streaming service.

The Nintendo multi-year deal was first announced back in December of last year, but had not been officially finalized until now. The tweet from Smith included a statement that also indicated the agreement would bring the highly-popular Call of Duty to Nintendo players "the same day as Xbox, with full feature and content parity." Nintendo players have not seen a Call of Duty title on the platform since 2013's Call of Duty: Ghosts for the Wii U.

While the deal between Microsoft and Nintendo is finalized, the deal for Microsoft to buy Activision Blizzard is not. It still faces the scrutiny of European and U.S. regulators, who could still stand in the way of the deal closing. Most recently, the U.K.'s competitive regulator provisionally concluded the deal would harm gamers and competition in the gaming market as it stood at that time. The Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission have also voiced concerns about the deal.


Microsoft is in no way sitting on its hands through all this. Smith will attempt to convince EU antitrust regulators during a closed hearing today that the company's bid to buy Activision Blizzard will boost competition and not harm it. Microsoft's President will head a delegation of 18 senior executives, including CEO Phil Spencer and Activision CEO Robert Kotick, according to a report by Reuters.

"I think we will make clear that our acquisition of Activision Blizzard will bring more games to more people on more devices and platforms than ever before," Smith stated to reporters at the hearing.

Sony, Google, Valve, Electronic Arts, and NVIDIA also have representatives at the hearing. While NVIDIA declined to comment to reporters, a Google spokesperson remarked, "The European Commission asked for our views in the course of their inquiries into the issue. We will continue to cooperate in any processes, when requested, to ensure all views are considered."

Time will tell if the new deals between Nintendo and NVIDIA will aid in swaying the opinions of regulators in Europe and the United States. Regardless, it is good news for those who have been waiting on the beloved Call of Duty franchise to make its return to the Nintendo platform.