Phil Spencer of Microsoft Believes Acquiring Nintendo Would be Mutually Beneficial

Recently released FTC court documents, as reported by Eurogamer, have uncovered an internal email conversation from June 2020. The conversation, involving Xbox leader Phil Spencer, Microsoft's CMO Chris Capossela, and Commercial CMO Takeshi Numoto, discusses the possibility of acquiring Nintendo. Other potential targets mentioned include Valve, Warner Brothers Interactive, and ZeniMax, with Microsoft ultimately deciding to purchase the latter. Spencer referred to Nintendo as a 'prime asset' for Microsoft, stating that if any US company could successfully acquire Nintendo, Microsoft would be in the best position. He further expressed his belief that acquiring Nintendo would be a significant career milestone and a positive move for both companies. However, Spencer acknowledged the difficulties of such an acquisition, citing Nintendo's substantial financial resources and the likelihood of a long-term process for Nintendo to consider a future beyond its own hardware. This revelation comes after earlier court documents exposed other potential Microsoft acquisition targets, including Thunderful, Supergiant Games, and Bungie. Additionally, Microsoft had considered acquiring several other companies, such as Sega, CD Projekt Red, and Square Enix. Currently, Microsoft is pursuing the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the publisher of Call of Duty.