So, uh, under our noses, Microsoft wanted to buy Nintendo again.

The second sentence in Stephen's tweet, yeah no kidding. It's like, the last time they tried that in the 2000's they got laughed out of the room (but they got Rare out of it). And guess what, even if they did? Nintendo could kiss their audience in their native Japan "Good bye!"

And, like I keep saying, Nintendo games on Xbox and PC would get post-Dreamcast quality reception.

(Just this first sentence of THIS "classic" IGN video, but replace it with Mario)

Realistically, what are the chances this would happen? 5%? lol.

This would be outstanding news for the industry IMO. I've been pushing / wanting this for a while. Would give Sony the proper competition they need.

Microsoft has the console hardware but not the games

Nintendo has the games but garbage hardware.

Sony has both.

Them teaming up would go head 2 head with Sony perfectly. And you'd only need 2 consoles (if not going for PC)

And Nintendo games would look a whole better. Nintendo fans win (because they get better hardware), Xbox fans win (because they get Nintendo games), Sony fans win (because Sony will be on the edge and not coast their way to winning another generation) and PC fan wins because that means we get Nintendo games with much better graphics, built for proper modern hardware.

@Mozelleple112: Nintendo could make better hardware if they wanted to. But their main market is kids who don't have money and are ok with cartoons graphics. So Nintendo prices it at a point that Moms can pay for lol.

MS buying Nintendont would change everything. ;o

Suddenly it would be Ninten-Do!!! lol

Seriously though, that would surely signal, Phony is doomed... Dooomed I tellz ya. :P

Even in their "better hardware" era, they were like this. GameCube was cheaper than PS2 and Xbox, but look where the failure of the GCN got them now?

Time to dig up my favorite Scott the Woz quote:

People talk to each other all the time, always discussing possible deals. Of course it doesn’t mean it will happen.

That would be horrible. We need more competition not substantially less. That might even turn me into one of those cunty anti Xbox NPCs that post around here.

Doesn't mean Phil doesn't look scummy here. More and more I see why @vatususreturns was right about that guy.

As someone who always tries to look at the positive outcome of these insane ludicrous deals that have no place in this industry:

Finally, Nintendo games on PC... yay!

Not yay! Games are worse (and I don't just mean by my SEGA example above, I literally forgot about the Redfall fiasco), like worse than Chibi Robo Ziplash, Star Fox Zero and F-Zero 99 combined. And Japan disowns Nintendo more than the MacLeods did Connor.

Well if you got the money then why wouldn’t any company want to buy Nintendo. They have some of the greatest IP’s in gaming.

Worse than Highlander 2 even?

Phil Spencer Says Xbox Buying Nintendo Would Be A "Career Moment," But Don't Bet On It

Spencer said that Nintendo is "THE prime asset for us in gaming."

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/phil-spencer-says-xbox-buying-nintendo-would-be-a-career-moment-but-dont-bet-on-it/1100-6517816/

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Phony and the bovine brigade may have really dodged the head shot. ;o

Although I haven't heard the fat lady sing just yet soooo.... lol :P

That'd be fucking terrible.

Go back to destroying Rare and do nothing with the rest of the studios you have.

Never going to happen.

Nintendo is such a part of gaming culture that they don't need or want to sell, and the people who run Nintendo love making games.

They'd be more successful going after Valve or Sega

Japan is not going to let them buy Nintendo

@nintendoboy16: Who wouldn't want to buy Nintendo if the opportunity arose?

They also said "a hostile take over would be ill-advised" (to paraphrase). So, everyone should just calm down.

Yeah, no thanks.

What would that even cost?

PlayStation has no games 🤣

As much of a chance as Shed Jesus Sanders winning the National Championship title.

Meh. Saudi Arabia should acquire 100% of Nintendo. This is what i am waiting for.

They’ll be buying Sony soon. As long as China doesn’t finish them off first.

@templecow90999: Nintendo's worth is estimated around $55 Billion so buying Nintendo would be cheaper than the $68 Billion they just spent acquiring Activision Blizzard.

We knew this from the acquisition docs; they also proposed buying the ps division from Sony (or just Sony?) Looks like MS was indeed planning or floating the idea of consolidating the entire industry.

Well that's not surprising. Everyone wants to buy Nintendo. I mean if Nintendo announced the company was up for sale I suspect we would not only see MS and Sony get in a bidding war but also possible Apple, Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros and others. It would be a blood bath.

It will take a few repeats of the wiiu before Nintendo would be in trouble though.

In the highly unlikely event that Nintendo are in a "needs to be bought" state: i would like to see them merged with Valve. Apparently Gabe Newel is not a fan of them: but both companies have kinda the same madness too. Both very experimental but also both quite pragmatic. The 2 collaborating could be amazing.

Steam on the Switch 5....Nintendo games to steam....sounds good. Valve also have a history of releasing their games on other consoles. So could be wins all round really.

As I say though...not happening any time soon.

@X_CAPCOM_X: Yup! Something I feared by Bethesda and Activision.

I'd be OK with that, to be frank. Nintendo sure ain't doing a whole lot with Nintendo, but MS would put them to work.

And port some of those great Nintendo games to PC and Xbox! Oh man can you imagine a 20-plus year Nintendo library getting put onto Game Pass?! That'd be awesome.

Ooooh I'd like that too! Even better option than MS!

They could afford it, too, and would probably make their money back in less than a year.

I think it's just a question of whether or not Nintendo is actually for sale haha

Mario IP alone would be worth some 20 billion. The whole company with all IPs is worth over 150billion I think

F-Zero 99 is not good? I was considering buying a Switch for it.

@nintendoboy16: something you were absolutely correct to have highlighted as well, given this news.

Nothing about this would be good, especially given MS' demonstrably poor handling of the studios and pubs they have already bought. What on earth convinces anyone this is good?

MS probably asks Nintendo, Sony and Valve every year.

Except they aren't asking. They're getting their ValueAct buddy to pressure Nintendo to pivot their strategy and cause a financial panic, basically. They'll then swoop in with an offer.

Disgusting. Phil is awful

Pretty much. I have the perfect word for him:

Whom by extension, I've learned from:

It's worse than them simply wanting to buy Nintendo. They have a proxy, Valueact, that is buying up shares of Nintendo to encourage them to spend their cash for market expansion, manipulating them into a disadvantaged position where they would be ripe for a takeover. It's completely sinister and amount to corporate sabotage - far from "good for both companies" as Phil cynically states in his email. I hope Nintendo reconsiders any silly partnership with MS. They are being played by a giant set on monopoly.
Despite all of this, Phil and co. keep up this veneer of kumbaya "good guy" PR. Grimy, slimy, behavior.

Wants*

1st, I thought this was old news.

2nd, it would have benefited gamers being able to play Nintendo games without having to buy a Switch. Anyone with a potato PC or a Series S would be able to play the games.

Right now, we're stuck buying Nintendo's silly consoles... They're as bad as Sony in that regard.

It's pretty fun actually. But buying a Switch and pay for an online service only to play this game sounds pretty insane. It's just an updated SNES game with online.

1. The leaks were a few days ago. I don't care how old the docs are, the fact that Microsoft still had this planned after the 2000s still says a lot of their intentions, under Steve Ballmer or Phil Spencer. It only confirmed my suspicions of Microsoft monopolizing the industry (btw, as @pcgamerlaszlo pointed out, Activision is financially worth more than Nintendo).

2. "Benefitted" my ass! I dare you to say that to the Japanese gaming populace, who have nothing but scorn for Xbox and would throw Nintendo under the bus if it happened. Nintendo stays independent, especially when they're keeping things interesting. THAT is pro consumer, not whatever the hell Microsoft is doing.

Let's also not forget that the Activision buyout had political ramifications in the United States. And involving Nintendo, it'll have ramifications for TWO countries, US and Japan.

Those email leaks showed Phil Spencer In a different light definitely not the nicey nice image.

Yes, they've been busy putting their dozens of studios to work as releases have been flying left and right. Oh wait, no, that hasn't been the case.

Nintendont would go from being the most anti-consumer to the most pro-consumer gaming company on the planet reaching millions more gamers but you see they have their fanbase in a Stockholm syndrome like trance paying exorbitant prices for hardware that's two gens behind and they can't seem to break free of.

Eh, you know the old fools and their money thingy. Sheep gonna sheep I guess. lol :P

@nintendoboy16: Nothing Nintendo or PlayStation has done for a long time has been particularly “pro-consumer”.

There’s certainly nothing pro-consumer about exclusivity for a a single device.

Somehow that doesn't apply to Microsoft, who killed off Starfield for PS5? And anything Bethesda Sony (and Nintendo) get is ID Software classic re-releases (recently Quake II), alongside Mojang's Minecraft?

Microsoft's tactic isn't pro-consumer either. If consolidation of the industry is what it takes to "end the console wars" like Phil wants to. Then let the war continue, I say...

you're delusional, playstation literally has no games, and if MS aquired nintendo, it would be game over for the industry, full monopoly status. Playstation can't keep up with xbox, how would they compete against MS + Nintendo.