Xbox CEO Phil Spencer is in a big bucket of hot water today. Following numerous leaks of documents from the Microsoft vs. FTC court case, the gaming industry has learned all sorts of interesting things about Xbox’s parent company. For one, we learned that they’re really hoping to release the next Xbox in 2028. We also learned that Phil Spencer really, really wanted to buy Nintendo back in 2020.
In an email conversation that Spencer had with other members of Microsoft’s executive team, the Xbox CEO made it clear that Nintendo was at the top of his acquisition wish list. This email, which was part of the FTC court documents leak, has since been taken down. Not to worry, however, because we’ve got the content of it for you here:
It’s clear to see that Microsoft at one point really hoped to add Nintendo (and even Valve) to their roster. Keep in mind, this was before Xbox tried to acquire Activision Blizzard and went to court for it, so they probably weren’t thinking about the potential consequences of trying to take up that much of the gaming market. If they tried to acquire Nintendo now, they would run into some very strong opposition.
The email also includes talk of Microsoft acquiring ZeniMax and Warner Bros. Interactive, as well as TikTok. While they did successfully buy ZeniMax back in 2021, the company’s attempts to buy Warner Bros. and TikTok ultimately fell through. The leaked email acts as a neat little time capsule to see conversations about these plans as they were happening.
It’s not necessarily surprising to see Xbox considering these companies as worthy investments. They’ve been on a spree of acquisitions over the last few years. The reason we’re even seeing these emails is because of Microsoft’s attempts to buy Activision Blizzard. Regardless, trying to imagine Nintendo reduced to a game development company for Xbox is borderline humorous.
To keep up with all of the insane Microsoft leaks, stay tuned in to us here at MP1st.
More Xbox Reading:
They should be looking to acquire EA and Take Two.
No they shouldn’t xbot