Call of Duty reportedly partners with Nintendo to bring the series to Switch for the first time

People who appreciate shooters and portable games are just as excited about the news that Call of Duty could come to a Nintendo platform. Microsoft, Activision, and Nintendo are once again talking about the Call of Duty brand. Since 2013's Call of Duty: Ghosts on Wii U, there hasn't been a good Nintendo home for the game. Sources indicate that teams from all three corporations are actively working on porting future entries to the Switch environment, potentially beginning with Black Ops 7.

Call of Duty reportedly partners with Nintendo: more details

No Nintendo system had a full-featured Call of Duty game until 2013's Ghosts on the Wii U. Since then, the series has not been available on any Switch version, including the original and its next-gen successor, Switch 2. This is because newer Call of Duty games are too hard to play on the Switch. This absence stood in contrast to Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox families, which featured annual releases with full graphical quality and multiplayer parity.

For a long time, both fans and experts have wondered why Nintendo wasn't included. One reason for this is that the Switch's hardware is limited. The Switch 2 is touted to be as powerful as a PlayStation 4, but moving a fast-paced first-person shooter like Black Ops to the Switch will need a lot of effort, such as stabilizing the frame rate, remapping the controls, and speeding up the network.

In October 2023, regulatory groups asked that big games like Call of Duty be available on all platforms. This was when Microsoft finished buying Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. This deal aimed to protect Nintendo's users from being locked into just one brand and to retain one of the most lucrative gaming brands open to them. Everyone in the industry is watching the Switch launch closely to see whether Black Ops 7 or other classic games from the past will be the big draws.

Microsoft and Activision showed off Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 during the Xbox Games Showcase on June 10, 2025. However, there was no mention of Nintendo hardware in the announcement. A lot of people were expecting a Switch 2 version with the same specs, because Black Ops 7 is meant to work on older systems like the PS4.

There is more to porting a AAA shooter than merely copying assets. Developers need to change touchscreen controls to work with gyro aiming. They also need to make sure that shaders, audio, and memory footprints work well with the Switch's cartridge or eShop releases and that the networking code works with Nintendo's online infrastructure. Also, marketing strategies suggest that Nintendo should make its announcements at a different time than Xbox events to build greater interest.

Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard came with a 10-year legal requirement, which means that the game might be coming back to Nintendo systems after a 12-year break. Microsoft and Nintendo are allegedly still working together to fulfill their agreement, even if the Switch logo was absent from the recent Xbox Showcase teaser for Black Ops 7.

Potential cloud-streaming possibilities, strategic timing, and technological obstacles will all impact the eventual implementation. Console players can get ready for what seems like the most important cross-platform release in gaming in a long time, at least for now.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback