Nintendo Switch 2 will offer performance at the level of PS4 and Xbox One, according to correspondence between Nintendo and Activision

Activision Blizzard was informed at the end of last year about the development of a next-generation Nintendo Switch game console. This follows from emails included in the US Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) case against Microsoft and its attempt to buy Activision, writes The Verge.

Image source: unsplash.com

Leading Activision executives, including CEO Bobby Kotick, met with Nintendo executives in December 2022 to discuss the next-generation Switch gaming console. In emails, Chris Schnakenberg, Activision’s head of strategic platform support and partner relations, shared a brief description of the device called Switch NG (Switch Next Generation).

An excerpt from one of Activision’s letters. Image source: American legal system

The letters also included a document called NG Switch Draft.pdf. It’s been heavily edited, but reveals that the next-gen Switch’s performance will be close to that of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming consoles:

“Given the closer alignment with 8th generation platforms in terms of performance, and our offering on PS4/Xbox One, it would be reasonable to assume that we could offer something interesting for NG Switch as well. It would be very helpful to have access to early prototypes of the console as soon as possible.”the document says.

A summary of the briefing and prepared material was provided to Kotick ahead of his December 15 meeting with Nintendo CEO and President Shuntaro Furukawa. During the FTC vs. Microsoft hearing, Kotick said he regretted not bringing Call of Duty to the current Switch model. Against the backdrop of this announcement, Federal Trade Commission attorneys, as well as Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, who is presiding over the case, had additional questions about the possibility of Call of Duty appearing on Switch. FTC documents indicate that the agreement Microsoft signed with Nintendo also includes future Call of Duty games being ported to a future Nintendo console if Microsoft’s deal with Activision Blizzard is approved by regulators.

Excerpt from the transcript of Kotik’s speech in court:

“FTC: Is it possible that Activision itself will make Call of Duty available on a future Nintendo console, even if Microsoft doesn’t buy Activision?

cat: We would consider this possibility if we had the specifications [будущей приставки Nintendo], but we don’t have that at the moment. We missed the opportunity [выпуска Call of Duty] on the current generation Switch, but we have to wait for the technical specifications [будущей консоли]. There are no concrete plans now [по выпуску будущей Call of Duty на будущей приставке Nintendo] we don’t have any.

FTC: So Activision could independently develop a Call of Duty game for the next generation Nintendo console?

cat: We could [обдумать этот вопрос] if detailed specifications are available [новой консоли Nintendo]. We missed that opportunity with the current generation Switch, so I’d like to believe we could do it. However, we will have to wait for the features of the new console. But at the moment we have no plans for that.”according to the transcript of the meeting.

The FTC documents make it clear that Nintendo has been actively preparing major game publishers such as Activision for the release of a new generation of the Switch game console for several months.

Gaming publication VGC reported in July that the release of the new Nintendo console will take place in 2024. The console will have a regular LCD screen instead of OLED and will retain support for game cartridges. Earlier this month, Eurogamer reported that some game developers had seen the Nintendo Switch 2 during a private presentation at Gamescom in August. The console is said to have launched an enhanced version of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. According to VGC, a custom interactive Matrix Awakens demo scene running on the Unreal Engine 5 was launched on the new console during the same presentation. It was then noted that the demo scene used NVIDIA DLSS scaling technology and ray tracing, which hints at the possibility of a new chip as part of the Switch 2 launch of the latest AAA games.