As has been the case for two decades now, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony have consistently been the three frontrunners in the console race, with the trifecta of hardware giants battling to stay relevant in the eyes of players. However, if Microsoft had its way, that lineup could have been drastically more one-sided, with the company allegedly attempting to purchase Nintendo when it first entered the gaming scene.
During Bloomberg’s recent Xbox 20th anniversary special, the publication spoke to some of the biggest names involved in the company, with the head of business development Bob McBreen claiming that Microsoft attempted to acquire many studios in its early days. Included in these acquisition attempts was Nintendo, with one of the founding members of Xbox, Kevin Bachus, revealing the team went over to Japan to pitch a potential purchase.
As the team reflects on the attempted purchase, they reveal it didn’t go very well. “They just laughed their asses off. Like, imagine an hour of somebody just laughing at you. That was kind of how that meeting went,” Bachus recounts. This apparently wasn’t the end of Microsoft and Nintendo’s business talks, however, as the team allegedly brought the Japanese company over for another pitch, this time pertaining to the idea of a “joint venture.” According to McBreen, the pitch put forward the idea of Microsoft working on hardware and Nintendo working on games, with the pair coming together to offer the latest and greatest gaming console. As players now know, nothing came of these discussions.
The article also reveals that several other major companies were approached with offers of a Microsoft acquisition. EA was the first company to get an offer although it was declined, which is amusing considering the pair are now collaborating to bring EA games to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. Square Enix also got a nod and was apparently interested, however, Microsoft allegedly couldn’t offer them enough to cement the acquisition. Finally, Midway Games, the original publisher of Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct, was also approached but talks fell through.
It’s definitely an interesting slice of gaming history trivia, especially considering how influential Microsoft and Nintendo are in the gaming world today. It seems Xbox’s love of huge acquisitions hasn’t entirely gone away in the years since, with the company recently purchasing Bethesda in one of the biggest deals the gaming industry’s seen to date. Over the last decade, it has also purchased Playground Games, Obsidian Entertainment, Ninja Theory, Rare, and Mojang. Meanwhile, Nintendo also recently brought a new studio into the fold, acquiring long-time collaborator and developer of Luigi’s Mansion 3, Next Level Games.
Source: Bloomberg
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