Call of Duty Lands on Switch 2 at Gamescom, Nintendo Hikes Console Price
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Get ready, gamers: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is making a blockbuster return to Nintendo, hitting the Gamescom 2026 stage this August as a native Switch 2 port, marking the franchise's first appearance on a Nintendo console in 13 years. But the excitement comes with a catch: Nintendo is raising the US price of its Switch 2 by $50 to $499.99, effective September 1, 2026, driven by global component shortages. This major comeback for Call of Duty is a direct outcome of Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard in late 2023, where a 10-year deal was struck to bring the popular shooter to Nintendo platforms to satisfy antitrust regulators. The price increase for the Switch 2, mirrored across Canada, Europe, and Japan, is linked to a worldwide scarcity of advanced memory chips like DRAM and LPDDR5X, heavily impacted by the booming demand from AI data centers and ongoing US tariffs. Gamers at Gamescom, held from August 26-30 in Cologne, Germany, will get a hands-on preview of Modern Warfare 4 and eight other Switch 2 titles. Pre-orders for the game kick off on August 26, with an Open Beta Weekend following from August 28 to September 1, ahead of its full launch on October 23, 2026. This dual development — a hotly anticipated game and a console price jump — will surely set the stage for intense discussions around the future of gaming accessibility and industry costs.