Nintendo: "We have a great relationship with Microsoft"

Amongst the many leaked documents from Microsoft last month, there was a letter in which the Xbox boss Phil Spencer revealed that he was interested in buying Nintendo, something he thought would be beneficial for both companies.

Some people have wondered what Nintendo's reaction to this was, and now we have an answer. The Nintendo boss Doug Bowser was recently interviewed by Inverse, and this topic came up. Bowser explained that this generation has been good for both Microsoft and Nintendo, who has worked together on several things:

"We have a great relationship with Microsoft. We consider them to be partners in many, many ways, and you only have to look at Nintendo Switch to see that partnership. Obviously, Minecraft is on Nintendo Switch, and we brought Banjo Kazooie to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. So, we're looking forward to that partnership continuing."

Regarding the letter from Spencer, Bowser added that acquisitions and consolidations has pretty much always happened, and adds that new studios makes sure the industry stays fresh:

"As far as consolidation in the industry goes, I've been a part of this industry for 16-plus years now. One thing that's been constant is the acquisitions of studios. But the other constant is the fact that new studios are popping up every single year. Incredibly creative studios are making content, from indie-sized to AAA-sized games."

Before Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard took place, they also struck a deal with Nintendo and promised that Call of Duty and more would come to Nintendo's formats in the future. This combined with several other releases for Switch of Xbox games like Ori and the Blind Forest, Minecraft Dungeons and Goldeneye 007 (a game Nintendo owned the rights to) for Switch and Xbox makes it look like Bowser is right when he says they are "partners in many, many ways".