Microsoft was trying to buy Nintendo

[Subway]

Not content with trying the purchase Sega, Microsoft pulled out all the stops to attempt to buy Nintendo. Bill Gates was prepared to stump up $25 billion for the Japanese gaming giant.
A new book called Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft's Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution has revealed that Bill Gates' powerhouse tried to purchase Nintendo. When interviewing Nintendo's U.S president Minoru Arakawa, he let slip that Nintendo 'weren't sure what to think when Microsoft made the offer.'' He continued with the commments "I was surprised, we didn't need the money. I thought it was a joke."
Nintendo realised that such a proposition should not be ignored. "Some Nintendo executives seemed interested and the meetings went on through the winter," the book reveals. "The parties met six or seven times. Microsoft wanted Nintendo to drop its GameCube console and get behind the Xbox. But Hiroshi Yamauchi, the aging CEO and Nintendo, didn't like the idea. By January 2000, the talks were over."
The two companies went their separate ways and ended discussions amicably. "Our ability to remain independent was unquestioned due to our financial status," Minoru Arakawa described. "And it became clear that our objectives and their objectives were not the same."
Just imagine what would have happened if Microsoft's plan to buy Nintendo had succeeded - no GameCube and no Cube Europe. Isn't it great that Nintendo resisted from the clutches of Bill's Gates' empire.

First Sega then Nintendo. So he was not able to do it?

Have to buy that book.

Fredi

[]v[orpheus]

Yeah it's true. I read that at the GameCube board on the gamefaqs forums a couple days ago. That thread got so many replies minutes after it was posted.

I really liked this quote from it:

"I was surprised, we didn't need the money. I thought it was a joke."

from Arakawa.

[Subway]

I just saw an article about how "good" the X-Box sells in the states. LOL. Just look at this weeks sales on games. Gamecube is doing better in the states then X-Box:


1. Super Mario Advance 2 (Game Boy Advance, Nintendo of America)
2. Grand Theft Auto 3 (PlayStation 2, Rockstar Games)
3. Virtua Figher 4 (PlayStation 2, Sega of America)
4. Sonic Advance (Game Boy Advance, THQ)
5. Sonic Adventure 2 (GameCube, Sega of America)
6. Bond: Agent Under Fire (GameCube, Electronic Arts)
7. Grand Theft Auto 2 (PlayStation, Rockstar Games)
8. Motocross Mania (PlayStation, Take-Two Interactive)
9. Knockout Kings 2002 (PlayStation 2, Electronic Arts)
10. Tiger Woods PGA 2002 (PlayStation 2, Electronic Arts)
11. Triple Play 2002 (PlayStation 2, Elecctronic Arts)
12. Max Payne (PlayStation2, Rockstar Games)
13. All Star Baseball 2003 (PlayStation 2, Acclaim)
14. State Of Emergency (PlayStation 2, Rockstar Games)
15. Crash Bandicoot: Huge (Game Boy Advance, Vivendi Universal)
16. Final Fantasy X (PlayStation 2, Square)
17. Super Smash Brothers Melee (GameCube, Nintendo of America)
18. Driver 2 (PlayStation, Infogrames)
19. Bond: Agent Under Fire (Xbox, Electronic Arts)
20. Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox, Microsoft)

LOL, Fredi

[zefcan]

Of course nintendo wouldn't buy it, the world without the cube, ahhhhhh! 25 billion that's a lot, they were probably thinking about it until they saw the size, 'ha ha, so where's the real one'. Anyway that's my three cents.
or two.
one of them anyway.

[Aria]

Even scarier is this link i got from aversion this morning

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/bus...00/1956023.stm

apparently Microsoft is eager to enter the Interactive TV market and are considering a bid for ITV digital !

a

[Subway]

That was on a UK retailer site after the start of the XBox in Europe, I just remebered it right now: "The XBox is so big and heavy that "we think there will be some children hurt by these things" falling off the top of the TV set, he warns."

Fredi

[CNO]

Originally posted by Subway
First Sega then Nintendo. So he was not able to do it?

Have to buy that book.

Fredi

Surprised this is news to anyone - or did everyone miss every interview with Yamauchi where he trashed M$ and X-box every chance he could get?

Then again, Nintendo almost had a deal with Sony too, before PS came out - it's all part of the business.

A good book to read about the history of Nintendo is "Game Over - Press start to continue"

[nocrapchurch]

Fredi,

Where did you get that quote from?

-scott
http://www.scottmanning.com/

[eag16]

dont like micro and dont like nintendo anymore
i do like the old NES

[TrIzKuT]

while he's doing this, why doesn't he offer to buy linux, and the whole world while he's at it?!


SNES r0x0rz
gamecube seems a bit childish
Xbox SUCKS
Ps2 is pretty good

my opinion

[eag16]

PS2 is the best
GTA3 rules

[kallok]

You would think Bill Gates would have made a great videogame system,I think the system did not live anywhere near the hype it was suppoused to.I mean look at how it is doing in Japan,way below what was predicted.Remember when PLaystation 1 came out?It was a wonderful system.You would think xbox would be the ultimate system but its not.PS2 which has been out since 2000 is better than xbox.Also theres a Linux kit comming out for ps2 in may

[Subway]

Originally posted by nocrapchurch
Fredi,

Where did you get that quote from?

-scott
http://www.scottmanning.com/

Try this link, it's a google search with the title of that book: Google search result

Fredi

[OMEGA]

Slap a Quad Xeon board in there, a GeForce 4 Ti4600, and a Gig of Ram for each processor and you will have a pretty good home gaming console.

[jcsco0]

Stuff the lot of ya's! Go the Commodore 64!!! Your xbox's, ps2's and gamecubes don’t stand a chance! MUHAHAHAHA!!!

Hang on, I shouldn't eat those mushrooms...