GamesIndustry has an interesting interview with Seamus Blackley who was the original Xbox co-creator and also Lorne Lanning who created the Oddworld series. In the enlightening interview, Blackley revealed that the team had all sorts of big ideas before launching the original Xbox including acquiring Nintendo and also giving away the Xbox for free. None of these things obviously happened, but it’s interesting to read some of the grand plans that the original team had. Lanning also mentioned that the Xbox team said they needed “something that competes in that Mario space and we think Mario’s the thing to kill” so they brought out Oddworld as a launch title and gave developers the idea that they were going to be giving out the Xbox for free.
“At the time, Xbox thought that the core market was going to be casual. They were going to be the casual gamers’ machine. Now, that’s why they approached us because they said ‘we think you’ve got something that competes in that Mario space and we think Mario’s the thing to kill … We see that space. We want that audience. We love Oddworld so why don’t you get on this bandwagon? And we might give the box away’,”
Blackley noted that a number of other ideas were pushed around at Microsoft too. Some people said Xbox should be focused on playing movies, or that all the games would have to be made by Microsoft. Some even pushed the notion that Microsoft should make a huge play and just gobble up Nintendo. “Just name it, name a bad idea and it was something we had to deal with,” Blackley lamented.
HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Thank God that this didn’t happen. But unfortunately, they acquired Rareware instead.But indeed, HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! They were fools for even considering it……..
or early april’s fools
No. Microsoft offering to buy Nintendo before GCN & Xbox launched is true. It something I remeber reading around the time Rare was sold. It isn’t news, it’s olds.
http://www.emutalk.net/threads/4561-Microsoft-tried-to-buy-Nintendo-!!!
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/moore-microsoft-considered-buying-nintendo/1100-6197832/
Surprisingly large number of bad ideas. Thank goodness the people in charge said no to all of them. It seems like Blackly didn’t like the bad suggestions considering his final comment. Xbox (the original) turned out alright in the end.
What’s so funny bitch? It is called brainstorming, and in the end Microsoft launched a successful home console out of nowhere. P.S. their current console has sold millions more than the wiiu hahahahahahahahahahaha
I can’t believe it’s not butt hurt lol, u cryin bro?
Hi hater
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… idiots
No. It was a good plan in theory. They could certainly afford to buy Nintendo!
Unfortunately, Japan would never have allowed the sale, as the Japanese will not allow a Japanese corporation to be sold to foreigners.
that’s not always the case dude.
what happened to japanese real estate firm named shuwa? what made them sell arco tower to foreigner?
Cuz no one else would have bought such a expencive building in earthquake land.
Hi smiley face guy! I haven’t seen you comment for quite some time now…
Shuwa went OOB
What a joke
it can happen though like in next two decades
Hahahahahahaha
Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft. You guys had never failed to amuse me with your countless flawed logic and plans. XD
It’s always better with Kinect.
It’s only better when it’s flatten in the dirt like your head thinking that shit has any excuse to exist. lol
It’s only better if you have a room big enough to make the dang thing work in the first place and if only a quarter of your brain works to buy the cursed thing…
I’ll say.
windows or mac. i bet you were tying the comment with windows pc.
Mac since Apple is now my life.
Hahahaha.
I wonder if their idea would happened.
Impossible. Nintendo wouldn’t have sold willingly due to their handheld success alone, and their stock distribution would have prevented any kind of hostile takeover. This simply seems like the logic of the rich, where they think that anything worth less money than they have is magically up for sale.
True!
Sounds good….lol
Lol, fail.
The sole idea of Nintendo going the same way as Rare just give me the most violent goosebump attack.
Its funny how everyone blames microsoft of rare’s downfall BUT in the last interview with ORIGINAL members of rareware they said that they were pretty much doomed before microsoft bought them and that microsoft gave them much more artistical liberty than nintendo. You can search it on this site a month ago or so ; )
Yeah, but almost everyone from from Rare says Microsoft ruined them.
LOL MS TALKING BULL AGAIN
NINTENDO IS 140 YEARS OLD MS IS A BABY
LOL NOT FOR SALE MS YOU RETARDS
XBOX ORIGINAL LOSS 4 BILLION
XBOX 360 LOSS OVER 5 BILLION
KINECT WELL OVER A BILLION
XBONE OVER A BILLION LOSS SO FAR
MS PURCHASED RARE FOR 250 MILLION POUNDS FROM NINTENDO RARE FLOPPED
NINTENDO PURCHASED RETRO STUDIOS FOR 1 MILLION DOLLARS THATS 500 THOUSAND POUNDS AT THE TIME
THERE FIRST GAME WAS GAME OF THE YEAR METROID PRIME
WHAT A JOKE YOU ARE MS
Nintendo is 125 not 140.
Once you learn the written language please try reposting this.
Once you learn not to be a dick, please come back to the interwebs.
my click bait . com
I’m not even sure how that would’ve worked. I think I like the idea of Nintendo teaming up with Sony instead…
That’s how the ps one came to be and we all know how that ended.
It was more “Nintendo not reading the terms of contract properly” than them not wanting to go through with it.
Nintendo wanted its share of profits as well.
you realize sony wanted 75% profits from software, while nintendo took the hit on hardware.
Oh Nintendo’s fate would’ve been like Rare’s…and oh boy it would’ve been the greatest gaming apocalypse since the crash of the 80s.
Thank you Jesus this nonsense was just that nonsense. When is Microsoft leaving the console market so as we can have the good old days again? Only gaming company with no real first party classic. Xbox sucks no matter how you try selling it.
F=ma.
What the fuck is this…Microsoft Corporation being moronic?
nope. they’re just doing business
Well, they did think they owned Donkey Kong after Rare sale…
And thank fucking God that nightmare was avoided…too bad I can’t say the same for Rare which is exactly what would’ve happened to Nintendo if they took them over.
i honestly don’t fucking mind if microsoft can deliver quality games
“Quality” games as in slightly downgraded ports from PC and not one Exclusive game/franchise that everyone could remember, besides Halo?
The original xbox WAS the dreamcast II or at least the more close thing we will ever have. Xbox360 doesnt have lots of exclusives that im interested in BUT original xbox got OTOGI, PANZER DRAGON, JET GRIND RADIO, ODDWORLD STRANGERS WRATH (AT FIRST IT WAS EXCLUSIVE TO THE SYSTEM) etc… Most of it software were made by sega and was amazing to bad that microsoft didnt buy sega they should, sega has released theirs 2000s best games on the original xbox
By that same token, GameCube was also Dreamcast 2 w/ Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Sonic Adventure: DX, Skies of Arcadia Legends, Super Monkey Ball & SMB 2, Phantasy Star Online 1 & 2, PSO 3…
But mostly, GCN was the 1st non-SEGA console to host SEGA’s mascot, Sonic.
I was envious of Xbox getting Panzer Dragoon Orta & Shenmue II.
Nope. Not even close. It’s an ugly fucking black box with a huge green X on it. Like some hideous treasure map marking that got its ass kicked out by that map. lol
Exclusives? lol No such thing on the Xbox at all.
LMAO.
Microsoft just revealed the Non-Pro Surface 3 and I think this is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. $500-600 price range for same specs as the Pro 3 (64GB+2GB RAM or 128GB+4GB RAM) with Intel iX Processor, upgraded 8MP Camera + 3.2MP front cam (freaking sweet), one year of free Office 365 with upcoming Windows 10 upgrade and the best part: NO MORE OF THAT FUCKING WINDOWS RT CRAP! ^_^
I’m gonna try to go for the $600 128GB+4GB RAM model when it comes in May. Looks I won’t be needing the PS4 anymore. JK but this tablet is now perfect for me as a computer, PC game platform for some games (hopefully for GTA5) and a drawing tablet. X3
Do you have any social sites where I can reach you elsewhere?
Yeah, I think so. What site did you have in mind?
FB, Twitter, anything.
I have a Twitter account.
That’s good
>>>The only good thing the Xbots have ever done is showing me and the empire who the true Nintendo fans really are, anyone corrupted by them were not true fans and should be terminated as soon as possible for treason>>>
Old news, and it was more then they THOUGHT out about, they offered Nintendo money, Nintendo laughed in their face and basically said “Oh? your serious? No thanks we have money.”
Thought about it*
>>>Over my mutagenic cybernetic corpse!>>>
>>>Just die already>>>
Nintendo would more or less acquire Microsoft… not the other way around
>>>We don’t acquire infectious diseases>>>
Not even to bring home Killer Instinct, the way it SHOULD be? NON FTP?
>>>No, we don’t rebuy defiled artifacts either, unless they are called Jet Force Gemini as it’s still pure so far>>>
I’m about to barf.
I doubt it would have ever happened. Besides, MS would have ruined every Nintendo franchise.
Keep dreaming, Microsoft. Only when hell freezes over and the devil gives free sleigh rides.
When I look at the original Xbox, I want to hit everyone at Microsoft with a sledge hammer. What a total piece of CRAP! It forever damaged the Xbox name for me.
strike 3 is the xb1 ms is out.
If sony goes the ways of a media streaming box with no disc or downloads it might help them when ms is gone
But . . .
A ps5 can’t compete with steam boxes they will have to make a cheap streaming box with a paid service for every sony game movie and music that they own the rights for and thats a ton of media and wit Netflix hulu and lastfm and all that other stuff that’s gonna be hard lol
Sonys games aint enough.
And nintendo will just be nintendo and stand alone with fantastic games and innovations for gaming and life :”’D
PS5 can’t compete with Steam Boxes? The PS4 just came out (and is doing amazing numbers) and the official Steam Machines haven’t even been released to the public yet. So how can you assume that about the future?
That’s like Sid Vicious trying to get David Gilmour to join his supergroup…
Wow, I don’t usually say this but, LOL. Nintendo wouldn’t sell themselves to Microsoft.
Uhh…was Nintendo ever for sale? Lol Micro$hit. Can’t come up with one original idea of their own. They just buy up other companies’ creations. It really is sad.
A company doesn’t have to be “up for sale” for it to be acquired.
Microsoft buying Nintendo. BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. What a bunch of douchebags!
Odd world? Seriously? wtf?
Oddworlds is one of the best videogames franchise ever made i assume you are a nintendo fanboy or just a newcomer if you dont know or dont respect them ; ) they offer games with clever dialogues, interesting characters and a rich and exquisite world which can look face to face to the mushroom kingdom. I recomend you to try oddworld abbe’s exodus and stranger’s wrath to get a taste of the my two favourites. Try to be more respectfull with that you dont know.
Hopefully, Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath & New ‘N Tasty will release on Wii U soon. I enjoyed playing Abe’s Oddysee on a friend’s PSX, so I’m looking forward to New ‘N Tasty. But if the Wii U port is cancelled, I’ll just have to find a used copy of AO for my PS1.
Yes, around the Gamecube time, I remember hearing a quote that Bill Gates said, that they didn’t have enough money (and big enough) to buy to seriously consider buying them.
They had more than enough money. It just wasn’t a good idea to begin with though.
Not according to Bill Gates at the time, he said they were too big and had to much money. We are talking on hand cash to have a hostile takeover. Microsoft never has enough liquid.
Where’s the J Jonah Jameson laugh when you need it. :D
Well, I don’t think Nintendo would have sold their company for any amount (unless it was a completely crazy amount like 100 billion dollars). Nintendo is only valued at around 20 billion, while Microsoft is 220 billion. So yea, they have the money, but it’s pretty hard to buy something thats not for sale.
Considering how Microsoft handles their platforms, I am glad Nintendo didn’t take up any offer not to mention this was in the past where Nintendo was quite the competing giant compared to today.
How were they going to go about “acquiring Nintendo?” It’s also nice to see that they acknowledge Mario’s incredible power as a video game figure. I wonder if they regard themselves (now) as a better success over Nintendo, though?
Well not the Xbox division. But Microsoft is a whole is absolutely more successful than Nintendo. But success does not equal quality. Nintendo is quality, Microsoft is quantity.
it feels weird to play nintendo games with keyboard and mouse
Gobble, ha haaaaaaaa, the Empire laughs, only idiots with no thought processors would let that thought pass.
Marios the thing to kill…
Then they made Blinx the Time Cat. XD
So their original strategy was to buy Nintendo to stop them from making more games? They just wanted to destroy Nintendo so they can kill off mario?
That’s actually pretty disgusting.