Call of Duty heading to Switch 2

Microsoft is reportedly developing a version of Call of Duty for Nintendo Switch 2, reviving a platform commitment it made during the Activision Blizzard takeover fight. (gameranx.com) The new claim was published April 14 by Gameranx, which cited reporting tied to Windows Central executive editor Jez Corden and said the project is being worked on rather than merely discussed. Gameranx said it is still unclear whether Microsoft also plans to support the original 2017 Nintendo Switch. (gameranx.com) Nintendo’s new machine is no longer hypothetical. Nintendo said Switch 2 launches June 5, 2025 in the United States at $449.99, with a 7.9-inch 1080p screen, 256 gigabytes of storage, and docked support for up to 4K output on compatible televisions. (nintendo.com) Microsoft’s Nintendo promise dates to February 21, 2023, when company president Brad Smith said Microsoft had signed a binding 10-year agreement that would bring Call of Duty to Nintendo after the Activision deal closed. In the same Brussels push, Microsoft said the franchise would arrive on Nintendo platforms the same day as Xbox releases. (news.microsoft.com) (theverge.com) That pledge became part of Microsoft’s broader argument to regulators that the $69 billion acquisition would expand access to Activision games instead of locking them down. The Federal Trade Commission’s case file described Call of Duty as one of Activision Blizzard’s key franchises while challenging the merger. (ftc.gov 1) (ftc.gov 2) Microsoft completed the Activision Blizzard acquisition on October 13, 2023. A year later, Microsoft said the deal had already produced licensing arrangements with Nintendo, Nvidia, Valve, EE, Ubitus, and Boosteroid to put Activision Blizzard games in more places. (blogs.microsoft.com) (news.microsoft.com) The open question is what “Call of Duty on Nintendo” actually looks like in 2026. Nintendo says Switch 2 can run both Switch 2 exclusives and many physical and digital Switch games, but it also warns that some older Switch software may not be supported or fully compatible. (nintendo.com) That matters because the original Switch hardware was built around a far weaker mobile chip than current Xbox and PlayStation systems, while Switch 2 appears better positioned for large modern ports. Nintendo’s official specs point to higher resolution, higher frame-rate support, and a more powerful docked mode than the first Switch offered. (nintendo.com) Corden has been pointing in this direction for months. Gameranx reported in January that he had said Call of Duty would arrive on Switch 2 in 2026, and Nintendo Life later summarized a December claim that the first Switch version was “nearly done,” though neither report identified which entry in the series would ship first. (gameranx.com) (nintendolife.com) Microsoft and Nintendo have not publicly announced a release date, game name, or platform scope for a Switch 2 version. For now, the clearest line is the same one Microsoft drew in 2023: Call of Duty is supposed to come to Nintendo, and the reporting suggests that work is finally underway. (news.microsoft.com) (gameranx.com)