Sep 20, 2023 11:27:00

Leaked internal emails reveal that Xbox's top executive wanted to buy Nintendo

It turns out that Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's Xbox division, was interested in acquiring Nintendo. Spencer considered the acquisition 'a good move for both companies.'

Leaked Microsoft Email Reveals Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Really Wants to Buy Nintendo - IGN

https://www.ign.com/articles/leaked-microsoft-email-reveals-xbox-boss-phil-spencer-really-wants-to-buy-nintendo

Microsoft's Phil Spencer says acquiring Nintendo would be 'a career moment' - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/19/23880146/phil-spencer-microsoft-xbox-acquiring-nintendo

In the Microsoft vs. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) case regarding the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it has already been revealed that Mr. Spencer was interested in acquiring famous companies such as Sega and Square Enix .

On September 19, 2023, some newly released court documents revealed that Spencer was also plotting to acquire Nintendo. Mr. Spencer pointed out that the acquisition of Nintendo 'will lead to building a career,' and said, 'Honestly, I think it's a good move for both companies.'

However, Spencer acknowledged Nintendo's reluctance to sell, saying, 'Nintendo is kind of sitting on a big pile of cash. They're apparently happy with their current position, and in the short term they're looking for acquisitions.' 'There's no way forward. I don't think hostile action is a good idea.'

The document was an internal email sent in August 2020, before Microsoft

announced its acquisition of Activision Blizzard and before it acquired Bethesda Softworks. The email records an exchange between Ken Numamoto, one of Microsoft's top executives, Spencer, and Chris Caposella . In response to Numamoto, Spencer said, ``Nintendo is our greatest asset in the gaming space, and for us, gaming is the most likely path to gaining relevance with consumers.'' I completely agree.” At the time, Microsoft was in talks to acquire TikTok, but The Verge points out that Numamoto didn't feel it was the best match.

'If an American company were to take a chance on Nintendo, we feel that we are probably in the best position,' Spencer said. 'The unfortunate (or fortunate for Nintendo) situation is that Nintendo is sitting on a huge pile of cash. I've been in contact with Mason Morfitt of ValueAct Capital (an American investment company) who has acquired a large stake in Nintendo. Maybe he's interested in acquiring even more equity from Nintendo. Nintendo stock could present an opportunity for the company. Without that opening, there is no prospect of mutually agreeable talks with Nintendo. Adversarial action may not be a good move. I don't think so, so this will be a long-term battle,' he wrote in an email.

Furthermore, Mr. Spencer prefaced this by saying, ``This is confidential,'' and noted that there are two very active M&A discussions in the gaming field:

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE: now Warner Bros. Games) and ZeniMax. (parent company of Bethesda Softworks). Mr. Spencer said, ``If the situation is right, we can get it,'' and said that WBIE's biggest obstacle is not being able to own the IP itself, and ZeniMax's only obstacle is the founder's expectations. Talks with WBIE later came to nothing, and talks with ZeniMax led to an acquisition.

Regarding this case, it has been reported that in addition to Nintendo's acquisition plan, a large amount of unreleased information such as the new Xbox Series X has been leaked.

Confidential documents related to Xbox plans until 2030, including new Xbox Series X, new controller equipped with gyro, next generation Xbox, leaked due to Microsoft's mistake - GIGAZINE

A forum related to this article has been set up on the GIGAZINE official Discord server . Anyone can write freely, so please feel free to comment!

• Discord | 'If Nintendo were acquired by Microsoft, what kind of products do you think would be released?' | GIGAZINE
https://discord.com/channels/1037961069903216680/1153990376907079690