Highlights

  • In 2022, Microsoft committed to bringing Call of Duty games to Nintendo consoles for ten years in the event its Activision Blizzard acquisition goes through, which it did.
  • A senior Treyarch official recently dodged the question about the potential Switch port of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
  • Treyarch only learned about Black Ops 6 being a day-one Xbox Game Pass release fairly recently, which lends credence to previous insider reports suggesting Microsoft was having second thoughts about such a move.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 developer Treyarch is being non-committal about the prospects of the shooter's Switch port. At the same time, the company has seemingly confirmed some recent reports suggesting Microsoft was having second thoughts about bringing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to Xbox Game Pass.

In late 2022, Microsoft signed a historic Call of Duty publishing deal with Nintendo. The agreement saw the tech giant commit to bringing Call of Duty games to Nintendo consoles for ten years. It did so while it was campaigning to push its then-pending Activision Blizzard acquisition over the finish line. To that end, the deal itself was meant to serve as an assurance for regulators that Microsoft won't use Activision Blizzard to take choices away from consumers by making Call of Duty games exclusive to Xbox, but actually do the opposite.

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Activision Reveals How Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Will Be Split Between Game Pass Tiers

Activision confirms that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 won't offer the same content to all Game Pass members, with some tiers having greater access.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Nintendo Switch Port May Not Be Happening

Eight months after the $68.7 billion acquisition went through, Treyarch and Activision revealed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. But the shooter has so far only been confirmed for PC and the latest two generations of Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Asked about the prospects of a Switch port in light of Microsoft's publishing deal with Nintendo, Treyarch Director of Production Yale Miller dodged the question, Game File's Stephen Totilo reports.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Could Be Waiting For Nintendo Switch 2

It would hence appear that the first Call of Duty game developed following Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition may not be available on Nintendo consoles after all. Alternatively, the developers may be waiting for the next Nintendo device, which is expected to be significantly more powerful and thus more capable of handling a contemporary multiplayer shooter without too many trade-offs. According to recent reports, the Switch 2 is targeting a March 2025 release, thus being expected to hit the market mere months after Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 does on October 25.

Xbox Game Pass Release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Was a Recent Decision

While Miller didn't want to answer questions about the game's chances of reaching the Switch, the official was a bit more forthcoming regarding other matters. E.g., he revealed that "it wasn't that long ago" that Treyarch learned about the decision to make Black Ops 6 a day-one Xbox Game Pass release, as per Game File. The statement lends more credence to recent reports indicating that Microsoft was having doubts about bringing Call of Duty titles to Xbox Game Pass. Those reservations may still exist, not least because the existing entries in the series are still nowhere to be found on the subscription service.