Phil Spencer described Nintendo as"THE prime asset" in a leaked internal email concerning possible Microsoft acquisitions.
The email chain, sent in 2020 between Spencer, chief marketing officer Chris Capossela, and commercial chief marketing officer Takeshi Numoto, discusses the possibility of acquiring Nintendo at some point in the future, with Numoto initially noting Nintendo's"rich set of franchises". "I totally agree that Nintendo is THE prime asset for us in gaming and today gaming is our most likely path to consumer relevance," replied Spencer.Spencer went on to claim"if any US company would have a chance with Nintendo we are probably in the best position", though noted Nintendo is"sitting on a big pile of cash" which would make acquisition difficult.
As a result Spencer noted"I don't think a hostile action would be a good move" but added"we are playing the long game". It's unclear just how long that might be. Spencer's email ends:"At some point, getting Nintendo would be a career moment and I honestly believe a good move for both companies. It's just taking a long time for Nintendo to see that their future exists off of their own hardware. A long time."The email comes as part of a major new leak of internal Microsoft documents, including emails from Spencer and presentation slides.