Microsoft want Nintendo…. again

Hi , Chris here with issue 351 of Switch Weekly . Hope you’re doing well.

This week saw lots of interesting details leak via Microsoft, including potential plans for an Xbox handheld — but what really caught my eye were emails from Xbox head Phil Spencer in which he and others discuss a possible acquistion of Nintendo .

Phil notes how bringing Nintendo under the Xbox umbrella would be a “ career moment ” for him, adding that he holds an honest belief that such an acquisition would be “ a good move for both companies ” — hmmm. He then cheekily remarks that “ It’s just taking a long time for Nintendo to see that their future exists off of their own hardware. A long time. ”

Of course, Microsoft have been down this road before — they attempted acquistion discussions with the fiercly independent Nintendo back in the early 2000s, and it did not go well . I can’t imagine such moves would end well for them now either, especially when you consider how stronger a position Nintendo find themselves in today.

It all feels unlikely, and also rather brazen from Spencer. However, on the rather bleak flip side, a future in which a few select tech companies snap up all the big entertainment players in the world feels almost inevitable too — it’s why the Disney and Apple conversation has fired up again of late. If Microsoft want to play the long game on Nintendo, they need only remind themselves that the company is now 134 years young…

Anyway beyond that, it’s a super busy week on the eShop, with just under 50 games arriving on Switch . Fifty! Took ages to go through them all — but as ever the full list is below for you, including my highlights.

Thanks for reading.