A part of the huge leak of documents and emails during the Microsoft vs. Federal Trade Commission trial has revealed Phil Spencer’s plans to buy Nintendo.
In previous rumors and leaks, it has been said that Microsoft had big plans to propose a deal with Nintendo. There was no real confirmation from individuals who are from Microsoft, but it did give the community the idea that Microsoft is highly interested in Nintendo, possibly buying the competition to finally overtake its competitors. Some joked that Microsoft will likely make this happen sometime in the future, but it seems newly leaked information coming from court documents has just confirmed it completely.
In an email that got accidentally made public as part of the trial document released online, Xbox Chief Phil Spencer is seen enthusiastically discussing his plans to purchase Nintendo way back in 2020. He believes that buying the company “would be a career moment.”
The email also reveals his interest in Valve and Warner Bros. network of video game studios, which includes NetherRealm and Rocksteady. There were various rumors that previously mentioned these plans, but this document finally confirms it.
“Nintendo is THE prime asset for us in gaming and today gaming is our most likely path to consumer relevance,” Spencer said in the email. “I’ve had numerous conversations with the LT of Nintendo about tighter collaboration and feel like if any US company would have a chance with Nintendo we are probably in the best position.”
Spencer did know that Nintendo did not have any plans to sell the company. He knew that Nintendo was “sitting on a big pile of cash”, and was just happy with its current position. He did not see any angle on a buyout in the short term and did not want to do any hostile action against it, so it would be better to “play the long game.”
“At some point, getting Nintendo would be a career moment and I honestly believe a good move for both companies,” he concluded. “It’s just taking a long time for Nintendo to see that their future exists off of their own hardware. A long time…”
Unfortunately, Nintendo is still keen to be one of the big powers in the gaming industry as it still gets a lot of gains from its exclusive consoles and games. As long as there are fans of Nintendo games alone, it will take a long time for the company to fold.