Xbox releases original letter of failed Nintendo acquisition

With the Xbox brand officially being 20 years old now, Microsoft has been introspective, looking back at its past successes and failures. One of these failures saw Microsoft try to buy Nintendo back in 1999. The console manufacturer has now published this letter, letting fans take a look behind the curtain.

In celebration of the brand’s 20th anniversary, Microsoft has created a virtual museum detailing many aspects to the console manufacturer’s history in the industry. One of the most interesting pieces is a scan of the original letter that Microsoft sent to Nintendo back in 1999 in an attempt to purchase the Japanese company.

For those who do not know, in the wake of this letter being sent back in October 1999, the Nintendo executives reportedly “laughed their asses off” at the idea of Microsoft buying Nintendo. This failed attempt is one of the reasons why the Xbox brand exists today – and so in hindsight this blunder helped push Microsoft and Xbox to create their own system.

As part of the museum, you can now view the full letter that Microsoft sent to Nintendo – albeit with some caveats. Whether intentionally or not, the middle section of the letter is partially occluded by the description of the paper piece.

Even without the full letter in view, the fact that Microsoft was willing to share this piece of history is interesting. The video games industry is a rather secretive place, and so putting on display one of the company's biggest failures at the time takes courage. It is fortunate for us that Microsoft didn't buy Nintendo, as we now have three diverse and interesting video game platforms. The virtual museum can be visited HERE.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of the letter? Have you checked out the virtual museum ? Should publishers and gaming companies be more open with the public? Let us know down below.

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