Microsoft Publishes 1999 Offer Letter to Purchase Nintendo

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the original Xbox, and Microsoft has found a handful of ways to celebrate the occasion, including an online "Xbox Museum." The site contains plenty of interesting artifacts celebrating the history of the brand. One of those artifacts is a copy of a proposal letter Microsoft sent to Nintendo in 1999 in an attempt to purchase the company. Back in January, Kevin Bachus, Microsoft's former director of third-party relations, revealed that the two companies actually had a meeting about the proposal. However, Nintendo spent the better part of an hour completely laughing off the prospect!

Unsurprisingly, the majority of the letter cannot actually be read. The website covers up enough that readers won't be able to make out the details. Regardless, it's an interesting inclusion! Readers can see the image embedded below. 

Microsoft's overture might have been laughed off, but the two companies have developed a strong working relationship over the last few years! Things really started to heat up a few years ago, when Nintendo and Microsoft shared a marketing campaign to showcase the benefits of cross-play (at a time when PlayStation was hesitant to embrace it). Since then, we've seen Microsoft owned characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and subscribers to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack will soon have the opportunity to play Banjo-Kazooie. There have also been countless rumors about Xbox Game Pass coming to Nintendo Switch, but it's difficult to say if those will ever come to fruition. Still, the fact that it's even a possibility speaks volumes!

While Nintendo and Microsoft have clearly gotten much closer over the years, the two companies seem to work better apart. Both have very different visions for the industry, but gamers are better off having both of them in it. It's impossible to say where their relationship might be another 20 years into the future, but hopefully Nintendo and Microsoft will continue to offer entertaining experiences for players.

Would you have liked to see an official partnership between Microsoft and Nintendo? Do you think Nintendo made the right decision? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!