Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Updated on September 19, 2023 at 1:52 p.m. PT: Phil Spencer tweeted the following statement on the Xbox leaks:
Arguably the largest leak in Xbox history happened last night after documents relating to the FTC trial were unredacted. Among the leaks were details about an upcoming console and controller refresh for the Xbox Series X, and multiple unannounced titles in development under Bethesda’s umbrella. There was also an email penned by Phil Spencer in which he discussed the idea of Microsoft acquiring Nintendo or Warner Bros. Games.
The Phil Spencer email popped up on ResetEra late last night as a slew of Microsoft documents were leaked. Written to Microsoft Chief Marketing Officer Chris Capossela and Executive VP Takeshi Numoto, the email focuses on three acquisition candidates for Microsoft: Nintendo, WB Games, and ZeniMax/Bethesda. The latter of which was acquired and announced roughly a month after the date of the email.
In the email, Xbox boss Phil Spencer describes Nintendo as “the prime asset” for the company in relation to its gaming business. He goes on to say that he’s discussed having more collaborations with Nintendo directly and that he feels Microsoft is the best-suited company in the US to pair with The Big N. Spencer admits that he doesn’t imagine a situation where Nintendo agrees to acquisition terms any time soon, and that Microsoft is playing the long game on that front.
As for Warner Bros. Games, one of the major roadblocks in that deal was the fact that Microsoft wouldn’t retain the publisher’s most valuable IP. Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, etc. likely would have stayed with Warner Bros. proper.
We know that this story ended with Microsoft acquiring Bethesda, but it’s fascinating to know that the company had serious interest in acquiring Nintendo instead. The FTC leaks also revealed a number of unannounced projects from Bethesda Softworks studios, including Doom Year Zero and Dishonored 3.