Activision was briefed on Nintendo’s Switch 2 last year
By Tom Warren, a senior editor covering Microsoft, PC gaming, console, and tech. He founded WinRumors, a site dedicated to Microsoft news, before joining The Verge in 2012.
Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 announcement have grown recently after reports of developer demos at Gamescom last month. Now we know that Activision was briefed on a next-generation Nintendo Switch last year, thanks to internal emails from the FTC v. Microsoft case.
Activision executives, including CEO Bobby Kotick, met with Nintendo executives in December 2022 to discuss a next-generation Switch. In an internal email chain, Chris Schnakenberg, head of Activision’s platform strategy and partner relations, prepared a summary of the “Switch NG” (Switch next-generation) inside a document labeled “NG Switch Draft.pdf.”
The document is heavily redacted, but it does reveal that performance of the next-generation Switch will be close to that of the PS4 and Xbox One:
Given the closer alignment to Gen8 platforms in terms of performance and our previous offerings on PS4 / Xbox One, it is reasonable to assume we could make something compelling for the NG Switch as well. It would be helpful to secure early access to development hardware prototypes and prove that out nice and early.
The executive briefing summary and preparation materials are then sent on to Bobby Kotick ahead of the December 15th meeting with Nintendo CEO and president Shuntaro Furukawa. Kotick went on to testify in the FTC v. Microsoft hearing that he regretted not bringing Call of Duty to the Switch. This led to questioning from both the FTC’s lawyers and Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley aboutCall of Duty on the Switch. The FTC revealed that the agreement Microsoft signed with Nintendo also
Read more on theverge.com
