Microsoft is currently locked in a courtroom battle with the Federal Trade Commission over its proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and although the focus is mostly on Xbox, on day two of the proceedings, the Nintendo Switch has already been dragged into the fight.
According to The Verge, the FTC has been attempting to argue the Switch is “very different” to the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 – suggesting it’s not really part of the same market by comparing its technical capabilities, with lines about its frame rate and how it compares in terms of GPU teraflops.
As highlighted by the source, Microsoft head of gaming and Xbox chief Phil Spencer didn’t seem to agree, noting how it’s “incorrect” for the FTC to say “Nintendo isn’t a competitor” when it still occupies the same industry and even hosts the same (and similar) third-party content. Essentially, the FTC is claiming Nintendo won’t be impacted by the acquisition like PlayStation.
Microsoft has already penned 10-year deals with a number of parties – including Nintendo – to host Call of Duty on their respective platforms if the acquisition is passed (Sony chose not to sign). This would arguably reinforce the fact Nintendo (and the Switch) is still very much in the same market as Sony and Xbox, even if it pivots.
Factoring in sales, the Switch has absolutely dominated the video game hardware space since its arrival in 2017, with more than 125 million units sold as of March 2023 and software sales surpassing the one billion mark in May of this year. So the hybrid system – supporting both console and handheld play – certainly appears to be a competitor in this space, even if Nintendo chooses to not directly compete with the high-end specs and games on Microsoft and Sony’s systems.
Back in April of this year, UK’s CMA suggested the Switch was not “technically capable” of running Call of Duty games, which is definitely amusing to hear when considering just how many “impossible ports” have been released during the Switch’s lifetime. Many of Nintendo’s past systems, including the Wii U, have had Call of Duty games as well.
Microsoft is currently locked in a courtroom battle with the Federal Trade Commission over its proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and although the focus is mostly on Xbox, on day two of the proceedings, the Nintendo Switch has already been dragged into the fight.
According to The Verge, the FTC has been attempting to argue the Switch is “very different” to the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 – suggesting it’s not really part of the same market by comparing its technical capabilities, with lines about its frame rate and how it compares in terms of GPU teraflops.
As highlighted by the source, Microsoft head of gaming and Xbox chief Phil Spencer didn’t seem to agree, noting how it’s “incorrect” for the FTC to say “Nintendo isn’t a competitor” when it still occupies the same industry and even hosts the same (and similar) third-party content. Essentially, the FTC is claiming Nintendo won’t be impacted by the acquisition like PlayStation.
Microsoft has already penned 10-year deals with a number of parties – including Nintendo – to host Call of Duty on their respective platforms if the acquisition is passed (Sony chose not to sign). This would arguably reinforce the fact Nintendo (and the Switch) is still very much in the same market as Sony and Xbox, even if it pivots.
Factoring in sales, the Switch has absolutely dominated the video game hardware space since its arrival in 2017, with more than 125 million units sold as of March 2023 and software sales surpassing the one billion mark in May of this year. So the hybrid system – supporting both console and handheld play – certainly appears to be a competitor in this space, even if Nintendo chooses to not directly compete with the high-end specs and games on Microsoft and Sony’s systems.
Back in April of this year, UK’s CMA suggested the Switch was not “technically capable” of running Call of Duty games, which is definitely amusing to hear when considering just how many “impossible ports” have been released during the Switch’s lifetime. Many of Nintendo’s past systems, including the Wii U, have had Call of Duty games as well.
