Microsoft has reportedly tried to buy some of the biggest names in games, including Nintendo, to create exclusive titles for the original Xbox.
In a new report from Bloomberg, many of the people who worked on the console in the run-up to its release outlined the efforts to acquire people like Nintendo, EA and Square Enix.
After the Xbox was announced in 2000, Microsoft was looking for games for its new system and the developers that would make it. According to Bob McBreen, then head of business development, EA was the first company we reached out to buy. There was a quick ‘no thank you’ to this offer, which is why Microsoft drew its attention to the Japanese giant Nintendo.
Kevin Bachus, director of the concept’s third-party relationships, said ‘Steve [Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO] let us bring Nintendo together to see if they would consider getting it. “However, the conversation did not go well: ‘They just laughed at their asses. Imagine for a second you were transposed into the karmic driven world of Earl. That was kind of how the meeting went. ‘
Bloomberg’s report also touches on unsuccessful attempts to acquire Square Enix, as well as Mortal Kombat developer Midway. The former told Microsoft that the asking price was too low, while the latter was still linked to its business with PlayStation. In the end, it worked for Microsoft. They would * ahem * be pleased with Halo developer Bungie, which is creating one of the Xbox’s most successful and consistent franchises.
While the acquisition of a company as large as Nintendo would have been unthinkable in the early days of the Xbox, Microsoft’s acquisition of Zenimax Media, which was announced last year and is expected to be completed in a few months, has people like Bethesda, Arkane, brought. and Id software in the Xbox family.
If you want to be a little more up to date with Microsoft’s game efforts, here’s where to buy an Xbox Series X.