How Sony Could One-Up Microsoft to Bring Call of Duty to Nintendo Consoles

If there is one word to sum up 2024 Microsoft and its Xbox brand is “cross-platform”. Earlier this year, the American console maker surprised fans and industry experts alike when it revealed plans to bring several of its first-party exclusives to the PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. So far four games released by Microsoft viz Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Pentimentand Hi-Fi Rushthey've made the jump to competing consoles, but there's more to come. Doom: The Dark Ages and exclusive to Xbox Indiana Jones and the Great Circle have already been confirmed for the PS5, and reports suggest that the company plans to bring Forza Horizon 5 and Halo also on other platforms.

Although Xbox has yet to announce any of its other games for PlayStation and Nintendo consoles, there is one Microsoft-owned franchise coming to multiple systems soon: Call of Duty. Before the Activision-Blizzard acquisition closed, Microsoft announced its intention to bring the future Call of Duty games on Nintendo consoles for the next ten years. Call of Duty is already massive, but given how large the Switch install base is, the franchise has the potential to become even more popular with this commitment. If it pays big dividends for Microsoft, Sony may follow in the footsteps of the Xbox maker by porting one of its flagships for live services. Helldivers 2also on Nintendo consoles.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has set the bar high for the rest of the Xbox Game Pass 2024 lineup

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was a huge success for Xbox and set the bar pretty high for the rest of the Xbox Game Pass 2024 lineup.

Sony could replicate Microsoft's Call of Duty plans by bringing Helldivers 2 to Switch 2

Helldivers 2 heading to other platforms has been a hot topic in recent months

Helldivers 2 originally launched on PS5 and PC in February 2024, but over the past few months there have been some rumblings about the game coming to other platforms. In April of this year, XboxEra's Nick Baker (a.k.a. Siftekal_Nick) claimed that Sony was in preliminary discussions to bring Helldivers 2 on the Xbox Series X/S, although he warned that those talks could “fall to pieces”. The same insider then claimed on November 2 that this Helldivers 2 The Xbox port didn't work. While this is true, it doesn't necessarily mean that the game won't be coming to Switch 2.

Helldivers 2 on Switch 2 seems unlikely, but Lego Horizon and Freedom Wars show it's possible

Normally, it would be absurd to think that a game released on PlayStation is liked Helldivers 2 would make it to a Nintendo console at some point, but it's not out of the realm of possibility these days. One of Sony's biggest first-party releases for 2024, LEGO Horizon Adventuresis released on Nintendo Switch on day one alongside PlayStation 5 and PC. In addition, Bandai Namco-published Freedom Wars Remastered will also be targeting Nintendo's hybrid system early next year, despite the fact that Wars for freedom The IP is owned by PlayStation.

Games from Sony-owned franchises have almost never been released on non-PlayStation consoles, so it's surprising that LEGO Horizon and Wars for freedom are coming to Switch. The last time something like this happened was when Deletion 64 released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998. Sony The MLB show the games are also available on Xbox and Nintendo consoles, but those are only cross-platform because MLB mandated it. In case LEGO HorizonHowever, the decision to bring the game to the Switch seems to have been made entirely by Sony itself, at least according to some comments from a developer at Guerrilla Games.

Helldivers 2 could get a big player boost by launching on Switch 2

The fact that LEGO Horizon Adventures and to a lesser extent Freedom Wars Remastered coming to the Switch is a sign that Sony is potentially being more lenient with bringing its games to Nintendo's consoles. If so, then it would make a lot of sense Helldivers 2 to port to Nintendo Switch 2. Live service games similar Helldivers 2 thrive by being available on as many platforms as possible, and with the Switch successor most likely to garner a large install base, the PvE shooter could benefit greatly from a release on an as-yet-unannounced console. Helldivers 2 it would be a great launch title for Nintendo's next system, but only time will tell if Sony will ever allow it.

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