When Microsoft purchased Activision Blizzard, the company pledged to bring Call of Duty games to Nintendo consoles. Now that the Switch 2 is coming out soon, it looks like we’ll soon get those shooters on a handheld, which should be great for CoD fans.
Even though this is a big deal for both companies, having this franchise on the Switch 2 doesn’t fill me with excitement. Granted, there is a section of players who want these games to play these shooters on Nintendo’s new system, and I can’t blame them. Even though these shooters always look good and play well, their announcements are never exciting.
That’s probably my main issue with this franchise coming to a new Nintendo system. Now they have to act like every entry from this yearly FPS series is a big deal.
Just to be clear on this stance, I don’t think Call of Duty is too mainstream or mature for Nintendo. The company willingly takes ports of DOOM and The Witcher these days, not to mention how they publish PlatinumGames’ Bayonetta series. Plus, the ports of these games were hitting the Wii U, Wii, and DS all those years ago, so fans could argue this franchise has some ties to the company.
Unfortunately, this also means Nintendo has to hype up these games for future Switch 2 shows, immediately taking away some excitement from these showcases, at least for this writer. We’re sure they’ll look good and play decently, but seeing these drab military games come to a system that should have more fun and colorful titles doesn’t inspire enthusiasm.
Imagine hoping to see new entries from Mario or Fire Emblem from a future Direct, only to be given a port of this year’s Call of Duty game. Sure, this game will be of quality and could have some exclusive features, but it just won’t be exciting.
click to enlargeGranted, seeing these ports have any Nintendo exclusive perks would be fun. Seeing skins of Mario and Luigi on the battlefield before they get shot is appealing in a dark way. It’s like seeing Sephiroth almost stab Mario during that Advent Children homage when the character was revealed for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
It will be interesting to see if support for these Call of Duty games on Switch 2 will be consistent. Fans who had a Wii U will remember how they got little-to-no DLC support for their CoD games before eventually getting no entries. At least those ports played well, and fans hope for something similar to this new console.
Call of Duty games on Switch 2 could be good, but their announcements will just drag shows down, and that’s a future we all have to look forward to.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Features and Call of Duty page.