The devil can often be found in the details, and in this case the horned head of Xbox is playing the part of Lucifer. Microsoft’s gaming platform recently saw some internal company communications enter into the hands of the public thanks to its ongoing FTC hearings here in the US, one of which detailed a desire to acquire Nintendo as part of the Xbox brand. Xbox head Phil Spencer declares in the email that he believes Microsoft/Xbox is the American company in “the best position” to obtain the beloved Japanese developer.
Here’s Spencer’s email for those who would like to read it in its entirety.
Spencer goes on to state that it would be a “career move” to acquire Nintendo and that San Francisco-based investment firm ValueAct, which has ties to Microsoft, has been purchasing up stock in the company, which could “create opportunities” down the road for a potential deal or takeover. That said, Spencer also acknowledges the reality that Nintendo is flush with cash and that any such bid to move on the big N would be unwise, ultimately stating that Nintendo will have to realize that its future is “off of their own hardware.”
An odd thing to say given that when the email was written, in 2020, Nintendo was (and still is) seeing an enormous amount of success with its family of Switch consoles. While Microsoft continues to pivot Xbox towards an all-digital, decentralized future, Nintendo is doing just fine with its traditional hardware model. So rest easy, folks, it doesn’t look like Nintendo is going anywhere anytime soon.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
