For the past two decades, PlayStation and Xbox players have blissfully indulged in the thrilling world of the expansive Call of Duty franchise. However, Nintendo fans have been left longing for a taste of the first-person shooter game since 2013, which Activision’s CEO Bobby Kotick openly acknowledges as a regrettable oversight.
- Activision’s CEO Bobby Kotick regrets not bringing Call of Duty to the Nintendo Switch.
- Kotick was initially skeptical about the Switch’s success due to its hybrid nature.
- The Nintendo Switch has sold over 125 million units globally, making it one of the most successful consoles.
- Kotick is open to considering Call of Duty for Nintendo’s next console, pending specifications.
- Microsoft, after acquiring Activision Blizzard, has committed to bringing Call of Duty to Nintendo.
During the ongoing FTC hearings, Kotick was asked about his thoughts on bringing Call of Duty to the Nintendo Switch before its release in 2017. He admitted that he had indeed considered the possibility but ultimately made the decision not to pursue it.
I made a bad judgement. When I had seen the prototype of the Switch, it was different then when I saw the prototype of the Wii [and] I thought it was the most extraordinary video game system ever created.
When I saw the prototypes for Switch, I was concerned because they were trying to accomplish a lot with a console that also had a portable capability. I didn’t think it was going to be wildly successful.
It’s probably the second most successful video game system of all time, so it was a bad decision on my part.
While it’s open to discussion whether the Nintendo Switch can be deemed the “most extraordinary” video game system, there’s no denying that Kotick’s assertion about its tremendous success holds some truth.
By March this year, global sales of all Nintendo Switch models had surpassed an incredible 125 million units, solidifying its position as Nintendo’s top-selling home console and the third-best-selling game console in history, trailing only behind the iconic PlayStation 2 and the handheld Nintendo DS.
When posed with the question of whether Call of Duty would find its way onto Nintendo’s next console in the unfortunate event that the Activision merger doesn’t pan out, Kotick had this to say:
I think we would consider it once we had the specs but we don’t have any at present.
Upon being pressed for more information on the possibility of Activision developing a Call of Duty game independently, Kotick replied:
Like I said, I think once we get the detailed specifications—we missed out on the opportunity on this past generation with Switch—so I would like to think we’d be able to do that, but we’ll have to wait until then.
Thankfully, Microsoft has learned from the missteps of the Activision chief, and Xbox CEO Phil Spencer clarified last year that they’re taking a different approach.
In a bold move, Microsoft committed to a 10-year partnership to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo after acquiring Activision Blizzard. This commitment was formalized earlier this year, ensuring that there will be “full feature and content parity” with Xbox once the Activision deal is finalized.
