Microsoft tried to acquire Nintendo 20 years ago

On November 24, 2021, Microsoft unveiled the Xbox Museum , an online museum that summarizes the history of the Xbox, celebrating its 20th anniversary. Among them, an email sent by Microsoft more than 20 years ago when it was about to acquire Nintendo was disclosed.

It was revealed by a witness at the time that Microsoft considered acquiring Nintendo from 2000 to 2001 just before the release of the Xbox. What was revealed this time was sent to Akira Yamauchi, the head of Nintendo of America, Nintendo of America, from Rick Thompson, then head of hardware at Microsoft’s Xbox team in 1999.

It is impossible to read the full text of the email image released at the Xbox Museum because there is a text that Microsoft was trying to acquire Nintendo. After Nintendo dismissed the takeover offer, Microsoft held a meeting again in January 2000, proposing a strategic partnership in which Nintendo would be responsible for software development and Microsoft would be responsible for hardware development. Thompson is poised to respond to Nintendo’s demands by saying he understands concerns about the potential for a strategic partnership with Nintendo.

Also, in the e-mail disclosure part, Microsoft said that it was starting the Xbox project to develop game hardware, and Dolphin was the code name of the Nintendo GameCube that Nintendo was developing together with Matsushita Electric at the time. However, negotiations broke down and the strategic partnership proposal was rejected by Nintendo.

For reference, the Xbox Museum is open to a variety of Xbox-related materials, such as the development of the developed Xbox concept design and pictures of the Xbox prototype, and can be viewed for free. Related information can be found here.