Microsoft Promised Call of Duty on Nintendo, and It Looks Like Sledgehammer Is Finally the Sacrificial Lamb
The Switch 2 has been out since June, and we are finally seeing the first signs that Microsoft intends to keep its word, even if it kills the developers.
Remember back when Microsoft was trying to buy Activision Blizzard and they had to promise the entire legal system that they wouldn't hoard Call of Duty? They signed a 10-year deal to bring the franchise to Nintendo players.
Well, the Nintendo Switch 2 launched back in June 2025, and we haven't seen hide nor hair of Captain Price on the handheld. Until now.
It looks like Sledgehammer Games, the studio behind Modern Warfare III, has drawn the short straw. A new job listing on LinkedIn reveals they are hunting for a Senior Technical Artist, and they are specifically asking for candidates with console expertise, including the Switch.
Building the Bridge to Nintendo
The listing is for a role based in Toronto, and while the main description is full of the usual corporate buzzwords about "unrivaled gaming experiences," the "Bonus XP" section (often visible in these ATS systems) usually hides the truth.
They want someone who understands the constraints of the hardware. This tells me one very specific thing: this isn't going to be a Cloud version.
You don't hire a Senior Technical Artist specializing in animation tools and rigging to stream a video feed. You hire them when you are trying to get a complex, asset-heavy engine to run natively on a portable chip without melting the plastic casing.
Why Sledgehammer?
It makes perfect sense that Sledgehammer is taking the lead here. Treyarch is busy with Black Ops, and Infinity Ward is likely deep in the next Modern Warfare. Sledgehammer has always been the utility player of the Call of Duty ecosystem.
They are the ones who have to figure out how to scale the IW engine down. The Switch 2 is powerful, it's a hell of a step up from the original, but optimizing Call of Duty's bloat for a mobile chipset is going to be a nightmare.
Better Late Than Never
We are five months into the Switch 2's lifecycle. If they are hiring for this role now, I wouldn't expect to be playing Warzone on the bus until late 2026 at the earliest.
But at least it’s happening. Microsoft isn't backing down on the contract. They are just taking their sweet time ensuring that when it does land, it actually functions.
I just hope the poor dev who takes this job knows what they are signing up for. Porting Call of Duty to Nintendo is like trying to fit an elephant into a Mini Cooper. It’s possible, but it’s going to be messy.
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