That a new Nintendo console is probably not too far away now doesn’t seem like a very far-fetched notion with the Switch being in the seventh year of its lifecycle, and plenty of evidence of that has emerged in recent days and weeks, from Microsoft in particular, funnily enough.
As part of its recent trial against the FTC concerning its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the company mentioned in court documents that a successor to the Nintendo Switch was expected to launch sometime in 2024.
Elsewhere in that same document, Microsoft mentions Nintendo’s next console again, saying (page 109) that it is “contractually agreed to provide a version of Call of Duty to Nintendo for its Switch console and its upcoming console upgrade.” In a footnote on page 134, the company once again mentions its “commitment to make Call of Duty available on an in-development Switch model.”
That’s in reference to Microsoft having signed a legally binding agreement with Nintendo that will see the company releasing new Call of Duty games for Nintendo platforms with “full feature and content parity” for the next 10 years.
Reports have previously claimed that though development on the next Nintendo console is progressing well, it’s unlikely to launch anytime before spring 2024 at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the court recently ruled in favour of Microsoft in the company’s proceedings against the FTC, while the latter’s appeal against the verdict has also now been denied. Microsoft is currently also in the process of negotating terms of its proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition with the UK’s CMA, though the regulator recently pushed back the deadline for its final decision on the deal until August 29.
