The Nintendo Switch can't handle Call of Duty

techradar.com:

The Wall Street Journal Tech Live event was a lively one for Xbox boss Phil Spencer, who made it clear that Microsoft has lofty ambitions of breaking into mobile and on-the-go gaming markets.

In an interview at the conference, Microsoft Gaming’s CEO spoke about the company’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, stating he would “love to see” Call of Duty on Nintendo Switch (via The Verge’s Tom Warren(opens in new tab)). 

Spencer stated that one of the key reasons Microsoft wanted to acquire Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard is to tap into the mobile games scene. Call of Duty: Mobile is still doing well from a fiscal standpoint(opens in new tab), so it makes sense that Spencer is inspired to take this a step further by porting CoD games to the Switch and extending operations in the portable gaming sector.

But is it even possible for one of the biggest FPS franchises to function properly on the Switch, given the significantly weaker engine?

Call of Duty has long dominated the FPS scene. With a whopping 17 titles under its belt, the first-person shooter series has been praised for its sharp graphics, complex gunplay, sprawling maps, and excellent co-op capabilities. 

While these factors have cemented Call of Duty’s spot as one of the most popular game franchises of all time, they might spell trouble for the Nintendo Switch. As a Switch port is unlikely to be able to maintain standards this high.

This isn’t an issue that is exclusive to Call of Duty. Time and time again we’ve seen ports of popular console and PC titles crashing and burning on the Nintendo Switch. The supremely-ugly Ark: Survival Evolved port, for example, was so bad that it needed a total overhaul, and wrestling simulator WWE 2K18 never quite bounced back