Microsoft allegedly tried to acquire Nintendo before the first Xbox launched

Microsoft apparently tried to buy Nintendo back in 2000 before the launch of its first gaming console. Evidently, the meeting did not go well for Xbox.

Microsoft successfully established itself as a pillar in the console wars despite its late entry into the fight. The conflict has been fought on three sides since the original Xbox released in 2001. Recently, the Microsoft side released a strong contender to the current generation. The Xbox has returned to the top of the battle with an impressive outing in the Xbox series X and S. Bloomberg recently released a comprehensive oral history retelling of the rise of Microsoft's console titan.

Entering the console war

Microsoft traversed a long road in the console wars beginning from its first steps in 2001. The current-generation Xbox consoles maybe frontrunners but that wasn't always the case. The Bloomberg account of the Xbox history uncovered a massive revelation in the untold past of the green-side console. Microsoft apparently attempted a buyout of Nintendo in the year leading to the release of the first-ever Xbox. Kevin Bachus, director of third-party, briefly talked about the acquisition offer.

“Steve Ballmer (president of Microsoft) made us go meet with Nintendo to see if they would consider being acquired. They just laughed their asses off. Like, imagine an hour of somebody just laughing at you. That was kind of how that meeting went.”

Nintendo declined to comment about confidential discussions but nothing ever came out of the supposed offer. Microsoft's ambitions may have gotten the best of them, but bold offers like that are needed to help the industry grow. Microsoft most recently acquired Bethesda in a massive bid to empower the Xbox's gaming library. Bethesda is no Nintendo, but adopters of the new Xbox consoles can expect to get their hands on a better, or perhaps faster version of the next Elder Scrolls game.

Fortunately for the Japanese game developer and console developers, their alleged rejection of the deal allowed them to focus on their own consoles. Nintendo fumbled with the Wii U launch but they have since then bounced back with the immensely popular Nintendo Switch. Likewise, Microsoft finds success in the console gaming front even without the brunt of Nintendo's game library supporting them.