These days, Microsoft is buying up smaller gaming studios at a rapid pace, adding names like Obsidian, Bethesda, Mojang, Double Fine, and many more to the Xbox brand. As the original Xbox system turns 20 years old this year, Bloomberg published an article featuring interviews and information about the early days of the system. revealing that Microsoft attempted to buy four major game studios back in the early 2000s, all of which ended in failure. The first company they went after was Electronic Arts, who quickly dismissed them. They also attempted to acquire Midway Games and Square Enix, but according to Bob Mcbreen, who worked at Xbox in business development at the time, they didn't offer enough money.

The biggest acquisition they tried to make, though, was Nintendo. Kevin Bachus, the former director of third-party relations, mentions he went to Nintendo in order to talk about a buyout. Microsoft's position was that they could create more powerful hardware than Nintendo could which would make them more competitive with Sony's PlayStation 2, while Nintendo knew how to make games incredibly well. However, Nintendo did not agree, so much to the point that Bachus says he was laughed at by the entirety of the company, ending any further discussions.

BACHUS Steve made us go meet with Nintendo to see if they would consider being acquired. They just laughed their asses off. Like, imagine an hour of somebody just laughing at you. That was kind of how that meeting went.

MCBREEN We actually had Nintendo in our building in January 2000 to work through the details of a joint venture where we gave them all the technical specs of the Xbox. The pitch was their hardware stunk, and compared to Sony PlayStation, it did. So the idea was, “Listen, you’re much better at the game portions of it with Mario and all that stuff. Why don’t you let us take care of the hardware?” But it didn’t work out.

Source

 

[x65943]

Xbox flopped in Japan so I can only imagine what sorta wacky decisions microsoft would have foisted on them

Imagine a gamecube with the Duke controller

This coupled with the nintendo playstation means in an alternate reality maybe we could have gotten a frankenstein company formed from all 3 giants

 

[Arecaidian Fox]

Laughed out of the room. Ouch. But at least it's a funny story years later lol.

 

[Chary]

Which would be better? The Microsoft GameCube or the Nintendo PlayStation?

 

[x65943]

Which would be better? The Microsoft GameCube or the Nintendo PlayStation?

I am going with Microsoft gamecube with the hope that they wouldn't have creatively killed rare and we would have gotten some killer donkey Kong games out of it

 

[spotanjo3]

Maybe they should or Sony should buy Nintendo because Nintendo don't know how to handle a powerful system against Microsoft and Sony. Or maybe Nintendo don't care because they are mean to be for family video game system. Either way, Nintendo should give up.

 

[Veho]

Good on Nintendo.
First they break up the deal with Sony and end up with a new competitor, then they laugh at a similar deal from Microsoft and end up with a second competitor. As the cool kids these days would say, "stonks".

 

[x65943]

Maybe they should or Sony should buy Nintendo because Nintendo don't know how to handle a powerful system against Microsoft and Sony. Or maybe Nintendo don't care because they are mean to be for family video game system. Either way, Nintendo should give up.

Give up? Have you seen the switch sales

 

[Bl4aze]

This sounds like it could have been pretty cool actually.

 

[KingVamp]

Was going to say Nintendo PlayStation without hesitation, but then I remember how they (ironically) started to become the company that censored things.

Bias aside, I think if they had to be bought, Sony would have been the better outcome overall. Unless Microsoft let Nintendo do what they want, besides hardware power.

Nowadays, it kind of feels like we got a taste of this buyout, if Microsoft continues to put their games on the Switch and beyond.

 

[Ericzander]

It's easy to look back at this with all the knowledge we have now and laugh.

Clearly if Microsoft stated an intent to try to buy Nintendo today it would be hilarious. But it wasn't so ludicrous of an attempt at the time. Microsoft had the hardware, Nintendo had the software.

Glad it didn't pan out that way though.

 

[Deleted User]

Which would be better? The Microsoft GameCube or the Nintendo PlayStation?

The XBOX Nintendo Playstation.

 

[gnmmarechal]

Maybe they should or Sony should buy Nintendo because Nintendo don't know how to handle a powerful system against Microsoft and Sony. Or maybe Nintendo don't care because they are mean to be for family video game system. Either way, Nintendo should give up.

Power isn't what makes a console sell.

 

[Veho]

Which would be better? The Microsoft GameCube or the Nintendo PlayStation?

The Microsoft Entertainment Station System: a MESS.

 

[Deleted User]

I will always be of the position that Nintendo should be allowed to do their thing; it's because of this that we have some of the most innovative and entertaining differentiators in the Console Gaming Industry, compared to their PC counterpart.

The Japanese sensibilities in this Industry is what keeps me buying Consoles, from Nintendo's unique interfaces to Sony's approach and selection of Console-Exclusives.

As one coming from a long history of PC Gaming, I don't agree with the approach that Consoles should just be lower-specced PC Gaming and, in Asia, many like-minded show their agreement with their wallets. But it's a different story Stateside, so I should place it down as a Consumer cultural difference.

That said, I come back around to my initial statement in a GBATemp Questionnaire about the Xbox - why would I buy a Console when my PC already has their Game Library.

It will be interesting for me to see how Microsoft reconciles this issue in the future as, with every generation, they keep on giving their Xbox Consumers less to be excited about in said Console as compared to buying a faster Microsoft Windows PC docked as a Home Entertainment rig.

 

[Osakasan]

"The pitch was their hardware stunk, and compared to Sony PlayStation, it did"

Said the company that release a fuckhuge black box the literally survived thanks to Microsoft deep pockets

Holy shit, of course they were laughted out of the room.

 

[Reploid]

Kinda unprofessional. But it's nintendo.

 

[Bl4aze]

"The pitch was their hardware stunk, and compared to Sony PlayStation, it did"

Said the company that release a fuckhuge black box the literally survived thanks to Microsoft deep pockets

Holy shit, of course they were laughted out of the room.

but i like the fuckhuge box (

 

[Kadji]

That said, I come back around to my initial statement in a GBATemp Questionnaire about the Xbox - why would I buy a Console when my PC already has their Game Library.

It will be interesting for me to see how Microsoft reconciles this issue in the future as, with every generation, they keep on giving their Xbox Consumers less to be excited about in said Console as compared to buying a faster Microsoft Windows PC docked as a Home Entertainment rig.

I was a big PC enthusiast when I was younger - But now, with 32 years, I don‘t feel the same anymore. I don‘t play many PC games anymore and I am not a huge fan of FPS games or Shooter in general, so I could live with the lack of mouse and keyboard. I also would have to build a new PC - my current rig is about 8 years old. And on top of that my PC is in a cramped space with a small monitor compated to my 4k 120hz TV.
(I don‘t habe HDMI 2.1 on my gpu so I use it as a 1080p120hz screen with my PC)

I just like to sit and relax on my couch after a hard day and occasionally play something.
And if I had to decide between better PC or Xbox series X I would most likely pick the later one and just pay for the gamepass to get my gaming fix while getting the maximum from what my TV is capable off.

I am only talking for me though, just to gibe you one possible explanation why someone would buy a console over a gaming PC

 

[FAST6191]

Nintendo playstation vs Microsoft gamecube.

Either would be a better timeline than the one we got -- I don't view Nintendo as anything all that special and doubt we would have lost out had MS had a crack at them. Mobile phones might even be worth contemplating as well.