Microsoft says it will bring Call of Duty to 150 million new players via Nintendo and Nvidia
Its Activision buyout will make Call of Duty more accessible, not less, Microsoft claims
Microsoft has announced that it plans to bring its Xbox PC games to Nvidia's GeForce Now streaming service. That includes Call of Duty, if the Xbox Activision deal closes, and the publisher says that the combined effects of its agreements with Nintendo and Nvidia will see Call of Duty become available to 150 million more people that it otherwise would've.
"Between Nintendo and Nvidia we are bringing Call of Duty to 150 million more people," Microsoft vice chairman Brad Smith said in a press conference. "150 million devices that don't have access to Call of Duty today."
Later, Smith said that "the number one concern that people have expressed about this acquisition would become less available to people. What we have shown is that the opposite is now true."
Microsoft is pushing this deal as one that'll make Call of Duty accessible to more players, but there are immediate effects even if the Activision deal does not close. The 10-year deal with Nvidia will make existing Xbox PC games available on GeForce Now, and presumably we'll see a fair amount of crossover with upcoming Xbox Series X games on that list, though Microsoft has not specifically called out which titles will be available.
The streaming deal will let you play games you buy via the Windows Store on GeForce Now, including some third-party titles if their publishers have okayed it. You'll also be able to play Xbox Game Studios titles you've purchased through Steam and Epic on GeForce Now. In a press release, the companies say they're beginning work on the project "immediately."
Earlier today, Microsoft also announced a 10-year deal with Nintendo to put Xbox games on Nintendo platforms, similarly confirming Call of Duty would be covered by the agreement.
During the press conference, Smith also noted that Sony has been dominating sales all over the world, defending the Activision buyout by suggesting Microsoft is not the console market leader.
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Call of Duty on Switch only sets up players for disappointment, at least if they're expecting the same experience they get in Xbox.
Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.