Add Activision Blizzard to the list of third-party developers that know of the next Nintendo console. A new report from The Verge reveals internal emails showing the developer was briefed on the future successor to the Nintendo Switch last year.
These emails date back to late 2022 and show a number of executives (such as CEO Bobby Kotick) discussing the next-generation system. While much of it is redacted, it's said the performance of the unnamed system (dubbed "Switch NG" in the emails) will be on par with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
As far as which Xbox One and PS4, that's currently unclear. The previous generation notably saw each console receive high-end models in the form of the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro, both of which had upgraded hardware specifications.
Due to Activision Blizzard's previous output on those systems, it believes it could create "something compelling" for the Nintendo console. But for that to happen, it would need to "secure early access to development hardware prototypes and prove that out nice and early."
All eyes are on the new Nintendo console
It isn't uncommon for console makers to reveal their incoming system to third-party studios, but it's particularly of note for Activision Blizzard. In December 2022, Microsoft pledged to bring Activision's Call of Duty games to Nintendo systems for the next decade should it acquire the publisher.
And during Microsoft's trial with the FTC earlier this year, Kotick acknowledged his company "missed out on the opportunity" to put the franchise on the Switch.
When asked by the FTC about the chances of releasing Call of Duty games on a future Nintendo console, Kotick said it would be possible, should Activision Blizzard receive "detailed specifications."
Details on the Switch successor are scarce at the moment, but it's reported the system will release sometime in late 2024. Last week, a patent filing indicated that the system's controllers will use magnetic fields, potentially eliminating the stick drift problem that's plagued the Switch for years.