After a lot of back and forth between Xbox and Sony about Call of Duty's availability on other systems should the upcoming Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard go through, Xbox head Phil Spencer has just tossed another piece of hardware into the mix: the Nintendo Switch.

Per The Verge's Tom Warren, Spencer said today at WSJ Live that not only will Call of Duty be available on PlayStation, but he also wants to bring it to Nintendo's hybrid device.

"Call of Duty specifically will be available on PlayStation. I'd love to see it on the Switch, I'd love to see the game playable on many different screens. Our intent is to treat Call of Duty like Minecraft."

Minecraft, for context, is available on an absurd number of platforms spanning PC and Mac, iOS and Android and Windows Phone, multiple Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo systems, Apple TV, Raspberry Pi, and more. At the moment, Call of Duty has only made it to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, and the planned acquisition has had multiple parties questioning whether PlayStation may eventually be shuffled out of the mix.

Last we heard, Sony's Jim Ryan was alleging that Microsoft had "only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends," calling the proposal "inadequate on many levels."

On Spencer's end, he's repeated that while Call of Duty will come to Game Pass, he still intends for it to come to PlayStation on the same day - but he's stopped short of saying how long that will last, or whether Xbox owners might not get other special perks over other platforms.

Still, the throughline in Spencer's past statements has been that Xbox's goal is to bring games to as many people as possible on as many platforms as possible. He mentioned this again in the second half of his quote at WSJ Live, emphasizing what the goal of the Activision Blizzard deal was for Xbox:

"This opportunity [the acquisition] is really about mobile for us," he said. "When you think about three billion people playing video games, there's only about 200 million households on console."

Activision Blizzard's mobile arm, King, has been pointed out before as the primary reason for the acquisition, including with it major mobile franchises like Candy Crush. It's a big get for a company like Xbox, which currently doesn't have much presence in the mobile space.

The acquisition battle has been especially weird lately as multiple governments begin to investigate the massive acquisition for potential antitrust violations. Xbox recently launched a website to tell the public what it thinks are the benefits of the buyout. Meanwhile, Sony has been slamming the deal, saying it has "major negative implications for gamers" and urging governments to look into it.

As for Call of Duty on the Switch? Nintendo's largely stayed out of the back and forth thus far, though back in 2019 there were rumors of Xbox Live on Switch, and in 2021 more rumors hinted that Xbox Game Pass would similarly show up. While that never materialized, we did get Cuphead and Ori and the Blind Forest, previously Xbox exclusives. Maybe talks haven't stalled out after all.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

After a lot of back and forth between Xbox and Sony about Call of Duty's availability on other systems should the upcoming Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard go through, Xbox head Phil Spencer has just tossed another piece of hardware into the mix: the Nintendo Switch.

Per The Verge's Tom Warren, Spencer said today at WSJ Live that not only will Call of Duty be available on PlayStation, but he also wants to bring it to Nintendo's hybrid device.

"Call of Duty specifically will be available on PlayStation. I'd love to see it on the Switch, I'd love to see the game playable on many different screens. Our intent is to treat Call of Duty like Minecraft."

Minecraft, for context, is available on an absurd number of platforms spanning PC and Mac, iOS and Android and Windows Phone, multiple Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo systems, Apple TV, Raspberry Pi, and more. At the moment, Call of Duty has only made it to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, and the planned acquisition has had multiple parties questioning whether PlayStation may eventually be shuffled out of the mix.

Last we heard, Sony's Jim Ryan was alleging that Microsoft had "only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends," calling the proposal "inadequate on many levels."

On Spencer's end, he's repeated that while Call of Duty will come to Game Pass, he still intends for it to come to PlayStation on the same day - but he's stopped short of saying how long that will last, or whether Xbox owners might not get other special perks over other platforms.

Still, the throughline in Spencer's past statements has been that Xbox's goal is to bring games to as many people as possible on as many platforms as possible. He mentioned this again in the second half of his quote at WSJ Live, emphasizing what the goal of the Activision Blizzard deal was for Xbox:

"This opportunity [the acquisition] is really about mobile for us," he said. "When you think about three billion people playing video games, there's only about 200 million households on console."

Activision Blizzard's mobile arm, King, has been pointed out before as the primary reason for the acquisition, including with it major mobile franchises like Candy Crush. It's a big get for a company like Xbox, which currently doesn't have much presence in the mobile space.

The acquisition battle has been especially weird lately as multiple governments begin to investigate the massive acquisition for potential antitrust violations. Xbox recently launched a website to tell the public what it thinks are the benefits of the buyout. Meanwhile, Sony has been slamming the deal, saying it has "major negative implications for gamers" and urging governments to look into it.

As for Call of Duty on the Switch? Nintendo's largely stayed out of the back and forth thus far, though back in 2019 there were rumors of Xbox Live on Switch, and in 2021 more rumors hinted that Xbox Game Pass would similarly show up. While that never materialized, we did get Cuphead and Ori and the Blind Forest, previously Xbox exclusives. Maybe talks haven't stalled out after all.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer is not impressed by the metaverse as it is currently.

Spencer is at WSJ Live taking questions and was asked about his thoughts on the metaverse. As reported by The Verge's Tom Warren, Spencer was critical of the version of the metaverse that currently exists.

"Today it's a poorly built video game. Building a metaverse that's like a living room is not how I want to spend my time." However, Spencer adds that it's early days and that "this will evolve."

Phil Spencer at WSJ Live on the metaverse:

"Today it's a poorly built video game. Building a metaverse that's like a living room is not how I want to spend my time. What I see in the metaverse world is that we're at the early stage and this will evolve."

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 26, 2022

The metaverse is the hot buzzword of the year with Meta (formerly Facebook) the company championing it the hardest. However, Spencer's comments about a living room could be a veiled jab at Meta which is positioning the metaverse as a business tool where employees can take meetings in the metaverse.

The definition of a metaverse is still hazy too as Fortnite is considered a metaverse, where folks can bring in multiple characters and properties together into a single shared world.

While there's no indication that Xbox is pursuing a metaverse strategy, we can expect the question to linger as companies like Meta continue to pour resources into the metaverse, despite the recent bad press the company has suffered on growing out this ambition.

Elsewhere in the WSJ Live, Spencer commented on Xbox's seemingly shelved streaming device as well as the future of Call of Duty.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer is not impressed by the metaverse as it is currently.

Spencer is at WSJ Live taking questions and was asked about his thoughts on the metaverse. As reported by The Verge's Tom Warren, Spencer was critical of the version of the metaverse that currently exists.

"Today it's a poorly built video game. Building a metaverse that's like a living room is not how I want to spend my time." However, Spencer adds that it's early days and that "this will evolve."

Phil Spencer at WSJ Live on the metaverse:

"Today it's a poorly built video game. Building a metaverse that's like a living room is not how I want to spend my time. What I see in the metaverse world is that we're at the early stage and this will evolve."

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 26, 2022

The metaverse is the hot buzzword of the year with Meta (formerly Facebook) the company championing it the hardest. However, Spencer's comments about a living room could be a veiled jab at Meta which is positioning the metaverse as a business tool where employees can take meetings in the metaverse.

The definition of a metaverse is still hazy too as Fortnite is considered a metaverse, where folks can bring in multiple characters and properties together into a single shared world.

While there's no indication that Xbox is pursuing a metaverse strategy, we can expect the question to linger as companies like Meta continue to pour resources into the metaverse, despite the recent bad press the company has suffered on growing out this ambition.

Elsewhere in the WSJ Live, Spencer commented on Xbox's seemingly shelved streaming device as well as the future of Call of Duty.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Knives Out and Glass Onion director Rian Johnson is taking his murder-mystery talents to the small screen, with a new mystery series called Poker Face. The ten-part show is coming to Peacock on January 26. Peacock released a short teaser trailer today, which you can check out below.

Poker Face stars Natasha Lyonne, who is known for playing Nicky Nichols in Orange Is the New Black, and Nadia Vulvokov in Netflix's Russian Doll. Johnson and Lyonne are credited as executive producers, and Johnson is also listed as the creator, writer, and director of the series.

The two creatives shared a summary of what to expect in the show:

"We invite you to follow Charlie (Lyonne) on a cross-country road trip as she meets a rogue’s gallery of characters and avenges a new injustice each episode, armed with little more than her uncanny ability to detect lies and a genuine appreciation for her fellow humans (and the occasional dog).

Now please leave the overthinking to Rian, who has masterfully crafted ten self-contained puzzles for Charlie to solve. Just jump in the back of her ‘69 Plymouth Barracuda and enjoy the ride."

Fans of Johnson's brand of detective stories have a lot to look forward to in the coming months. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is coming to theaters in November before hitting Netflix on December 23. We called the movie amazing in our review, saying, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a bigger, bolder, funnier, angrier sequel that improves on almost every aspect of its predecessor." We just wonder what all of these great murder mystery projects mean for Johnson's Star Wars trilogy, which is apparently still in development.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Knives Out and Glass Onion director Rian Johnson is taking his murder-mystery talents to the small screen, with a new mystery series called Poker Face. The ten-part show is coming to Peacock on January 26. Peacock released a short teaser trailer today, which you can check out below.

Poker Face stars Natasha Lyonne, who is known for playing Nicky Nichols in Orange Is the New Black, and Nadia Vulvokov in Netflix's Russian Doll. Johnson and Lyonne are credited as executive producers, and Johnson is also listed as the creator, writer, and director of the series.

The two creatives shared a summary of what to expect in the show:

"We invite you to follow Charlie (Lyonne) on a cross-country road trip as she meets a rogue’s gallery of characters and avenges a new injustice each episode, armed with little more than her uncanny ability to detect lies and a genuine appreciation for her fellow humans (and the occasional dog).

Now please leave the overthinking to Rian, who has masterfully crafted ten self-contained puzzles for Charlie to solve. Just jump in the back of her ‘69 Plymouth Barracuda and enjoy the ride."

Fans of Johnson's brand of detective stories have a lot to look forward to in the coming months. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is coming to theaters in November before hitting Netflix on December 23. We called the movie amazing in our review, saying, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a bigger, bolder, funnier, angrier sequel that improves on almost every aspect of its predecessor." We just wonder what all of these great murder mystery projects mean for Johnson's Star Wars trilogy, which is apparently still in development.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

As revealed on the PlayStation Blog, Sony has announced the PlayStation Plus games for November 2022 are Nioh 2, LEGO Harry Potter Collection, and Heavenly Bodies.

All three games will be made available at no extra cost to all PlayStation Plus subscribers on November 1. Nioh 2 is the Soulslike sequel released in 2020 that thrusts the player into the supernatural world of Japanese legend, fighting as a samurai imbued with the supernatural Yokai.

Fighting fire with fire, the player takes on swarms of deadly Yokai, samurai warriors, and gargantuan boss monsters. PlayStation 5 owners will get access to the remastered version while PlayStation 4 owners will receive the standard.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: "Nioh 2 is an impressive evolution of its predecessor, strengthening everything that was already great, while mostly leaving its already existing issues alone. Its stellar combat is elevated by the addition of Soul Cores, Burst Counters, and the ways in which those two main new mechanics affect enemy AI and how you approach battles."

LEGO Harry Potter Collection puts two classic brick-building titles into one package, letting players journey through every year of Hogwarts as Harry Potter and friends (and foes). Each features a main campaign but also tons of side content and unlockables, there's plenty to keep busy with in the two-game combo pack.

"LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is a love letter to fans of the Boy Who Lived," IGN said in our 8/10 review of the first game. The second performed just as well, as IGN said: "It’s clear that Traveller’s Tales made 5 -7 with a lot of love, and with a great eye for detail."

Finally, Heavenly Bodies puts the player in space as they try to make their way through physics-based scenarios, either alone of with a friend in local co-op. Using the left and right sticks to push and pull, each level is inspired by a famous moment in space exploration history.

PlayStation (strangely) didn't say when these three new games will be available until, but last month's games - Hot Wheels Unleashed, Injustice 2, and Superhot - will be available until October 31.

Sony didn't announce the new games coming to its more expensive services but you can check out our updated lists of all PS Plus Premium Catalogue Games and PlayStation Plus Classic Games Catalogue on IGN Playlist. You can use these lists to plan what to play next, create custom-ranked lists of your favourites, and track your backlog.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

As revealed on the PlayStation Blog, Sony has announced the PlayStation Plus games for November 2022 are Nioh 2, LEGO Harry Potter Collection, and Heavenly Bodies.

All three games will be made available at no extra cost to all PlayStation Plus subscribers on November 1. Nioh 2 is the Soulslike sequel released in 2020 that thrusts the player into the supernatural world of Japanese legend, fighting as a samurai imbued with the supernatural Yokai.

Fighting fire with fire, the player takes on swarms of deadly Yokai, samurai warriors, and gargantuan boss monsters. PlayStation 5 owners will get access to the remastered version while PlayStation 4 owners will receive the standard.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: "Nioh 2 is an impressive evolution of its predecessor, strengthening everything that was already great, while mostly leaving its already existing issues alone. Its stellar combat is elevated by the addition of Soul Cores, Burst Counters, and the ways in which those two main new mechanics affect enemy AI and how you approach battles."

LEGO Harry Potter Collection puts two classic brick-building titles into one package, letting players journey through every year of Hogwarts as Harry Potter and friends (and foes). Each features a main campaign but also tons of side content and unlockables, there's plenty to keep busy with in the two-game combo pack.

"LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is a love letter to fans of the Boy Who Lived," IGN said in our 8/10 review of the first game. The second performed just as well, as IGN said: "It’s clear that Traveller’s Tales made 5 -7 with a lot of love, and with a great eye for detail."

Finally, Heavenly Bodies puts the player in space as they try to make their way through physics-based scenarios, either alone of with a friend in local co-op. Using the left and right sticks to push and pull, each level is inspired by a famous moment in space exploration history.

PlayStation (strangely) didn't say when these three new games will be available until, but last month's games - Hot Wheels Unleashed, Injustice 2, and Superhot - will be available until October 31.

Sony didn't announce the new games coming to its more expensive services but you can check out our updated lists of all PS Plus Premium Catalogue Games and PlayStation Plus Classic Games Catalogue on IGN Playlist. You can use these lists to plan what to play next, create custom-ranked lists of your favourites, and track your backlog.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has said that his latest Song of Ice and Fire book, The Winds of Winter, is about three quarters of the way finished.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Martin was aptly asked about his progress on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he gave a definitive answer for the first time in a while.

"I think it’s going to be a very big book [more than 1500 pages], and I think I’m about three quarters of the way done," Martin said. "The characters all interweave and I’m actually finished with a couple of the characters, but not others. I have to finish all that weaving."

Doing the maths for himself, Colbert asked that, if it's taken ten years to go 75% of the way, does that mean it will be another three or so years before The Winds of Winter is released. "That's depressing," Martin said, avoiding a yes or no answer.

An estimated release window for The Winds of Winter was first given in 2011 when the previous book, A Dance With Dragons, was released, and Martin said it would take three years to finish at a good pace. That set expectations for a 2014 release date, of course, but year after year, and delay after delay, Martin still isn't ready to release the penultimate A Song of Ice and Fire entry.

He knows it's late himself, and while he respects that fans are eager to read the book, Martin wishes they weren't so mean about it. He said previously: "I say 'Happy Thanksgiving' and they say 'never mind Happy Thanksgiving, where's the book'?"

Martin has been keeping himself busy between writing his next Game of Thrones book and also working with HBO on the latest adaptation of his series, House of the Dragon. You can read our season finale review here.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has said that his latest Song of Ice and Fire book, The Winds of Winter, is about three quarters of the way finished.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Martin was aptly asked about his progress on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he gave a definitive answer for the first time in a while.

"I think it’s going to be a very big book [more than 1500 pages], and I think I’m about three quarters of the way done," Martin said. "The characters all interweave and I’m actually finished with a couple of the characters, but not others. I have to finish all that weaving."

Doing the maths for himself, Colbert asked that, if it's taken ten years to go 75% of the way, does that mean it will be another three or so years before The Winds of Winter is released. "That's depressing," Martin said, avoiding a yes or no answer.

An estimated release window for The Winds of Winter was first given in 2011 when the previous book, A Dance With Dragons, was released, and Martin said it would take three years to finish at a good pace. That set expectations for a 2014 release date, of course, but year after year, and delay after delay, Martin still isn't ready to release the penultimate A Song of Ice and Fire entry.

He knows it's late himself, and while he respects that fans are eager to read the book, Martin wishes they weren't so mean about it. He said previously: "I say 'Happy Thanksgiving' and they say 'never mind Happy Thanksgiving, where's the book'?"

Martin has been keeping himself busy between writing his next Game of Thrones book and also working with HBO on the latest adaptation of his series, House of the Dragon. You can read our season finale review here.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.