Xbox Confirms Call of Duty Would Run Worse On Nintendo Switch

Microsoft’s ongoing $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard has provided hope for Call of Duty on the Nintendo Switch. Both gaming giants previously signed a deal for the FPS franchise, but Nintendo’s weaker hardware poses a few challenges.

Previously, the CMA has expressed concern over Call of Duty on the Nintendo Switch. While Microsoft is confident that the franchise can run on weaker hardware, Phil Spencer has recently confirmed that this would require various compromises.

Phil Spencer believes Call of Duty would target performance similar to other Nintendo Switch games.

Why it matters: The Activision Blizzard merger is in a complicated situation, and Microsoft needs all the help it can get. The deal with Nintendo shows Microsoft’s commitment to using the deal for the wider availability of Activision titles.

Spencer confirms that COD's target performance on Switch would be relative to other Switch games, not relative to Call of Duty's performance on other platforms like PlayStation, Xbox, or PC.

— Derek Strickland (@DeekeTweak) June 23, 2023

The statement comes from the recent court appearance against the FTC. During the case, Phil Spencer was asked about his goal of bringing the franchise to Nintendo hardware.

Phil Spencer’s statement is not surprising. Previously, various games from the PS4 and Xbox One have been ported to the Nintendo Switch, but these games require several compromises.

These compromises are made in terms of resolution and frame rate. First-person shooter games are best played at 60FPS, and Call of Duty has targeted this frame rate for over a decade.

However, the Nintendo Switch would likely not be able to achieve this frame rate. First-person shooter games like Doom Eternal run at 30FPS on the Nintendo Switch, and Call of Duty would likely require the same target.

Additionally, the game would also run at a much lower resolution.

It should also be noted that Nintendo is likely working on new hardware. The Nintendo Switch successor is expected to release next year, and this could be a massive benefit to Microsoft’s goal of bringing Call of Duty to the platform.

If the next Nintendo console can offer specifications similar to the PS4 and Xbox One, a 60FPS target for the franchise would not be too far-fetched. However, this remains to be seen.

For now, Phil Spencer believes that current Nintendo hardware would only achieve similar performance to other Nintendo Switch games.