In a new interview with The New York Game Awards on Twitch, Robbie Bach, the former president of Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division, addressed the company’s past interest in buying Nintendo. Revealed by Bloomberg earlier this month, Microsoft approached Nintendo ahead of the release of the original Xbox and GameCube, but Nintendo apparently laughed off the company’s proposal. In the new interview, Bach downplayed the meeting, saying Microsoft was talking to multiple companies, and with Nintendo, “they were across the street from our office, so it wasn’t like we had to take a long trip to see them.”
“So we had a conversation and the response we got was probably what we expected,” said Bach. “You know, Microsoft didn’t have much to offer, Nintendo was successful and has always been sort of a standalone company – does a lot of their own content, but Bob [McBreen] and his team has examined every angle. “
While it looks like Microsoft had a clear idea of how the conversation would go ahead of time, it’s interesting to consider what could have been! After Nintendo’s rejection, Microsoft went on to create the Xbox brand. Interestingly, Bach revealed that Microsoft had considered competing with Nintendo in the handheld market as well.
“There were at least three groups presenting portable Xbox presentations. They were always called X-Boy for some reason. It would have been a huge trademark problem, I’m sure. All three times we decided not to. to do, ”said Bach.
“It would have meant starting up another team; it would have been like starting Xbox, except creating a handheld, and we just didn’t have the bandwidth to do that.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Xbox brand, so Microsoft clearly didn’t have to use Nintendo’s model (or its IP) to find success. Meanwhile, Switch is nothing short of a huge success for Nintendo. The two would never form an official partnership, but Nintendo and Microsoft have become closer in recent times, with Banjo-Kazooie and MinecraftSteve’s both appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Later this year, Banjo-Kazooie will even receive its own Nintendo-produced amiibo, which shows just how far the two companies have come over the years.
Would you like to see a partnership between Microsoft and Nintendo? Are you disappointed that the X-Boy was not made? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter @Marcdachamp to talk about gaming!