Microsoft vs FTC leaks round up: Nintendo acquisition plans, Fallout 3 remake, new Xbox Series X, and more

Emails concerning Microsoft and the FTC have recently been leaked. The information contained therein has been interesting. From the computer company wishing to buy massive companies, games that were originally planned before the ZeniMax purchase, and plenty more have come to light. We will cover everything that we’ve found as a part of this very interesting leak, currently making the rounds on social media.

It appears that Microsoft had some very big plans, though whether any of this comes to fruition in the future remains to be seen. It’s worth noting that several of these emails are from around 2020, so plans could have changed, been canceled, or talks of mergers could have fallen through.

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Microsoft was reportedly interested in purchasing Nintendo, Valve, SEGA, and more

Perhaps the biggest part is all the companies Microsoft had an interest in purchasing. In particular, Microsoft wanted to work closer with Nintendo, seeing them as one of the biggest assets in gaming right now and one that could lead to greater consumer relevance for Phil Spencer’s products in the future.

In his email to Chris Capossela and Takesha Numoto, Phil Spencer highlighted that ValueAct, a former Microsoft Board of Directors member, has been acquiring shares of Nintendo.

There was hope that it would lead to an opportunity with Nintendo. However, unless that worked, it wasn’t likely that they’d have a chance to merge with the Japanese gaming company:

“Without that catalyst, I don't see an angle to a near-term mutually agreeable merger of Nintendo and MS, and I don't think a hostile action would be a good move, so we are playing the long game. But our BoD has seen the full writeup on Nintendo (and Valve), and they are fully supportive on either if [an] opportunity arises, as am I.”

He also casually mentioned Valve, a name people have suggested for years that Microsoft could acquire. However, Valve’s Gabe Newell pushes it aside whenever this is brought up in interviews. Other companies have also been discussed, such as ZeniMax, which they now own, and Warner Bros Interactive.

A point that will make some gamers quite sad is that a PS5 edition for Starfield was in development for the PlayStation 5 at some point. This was also revealed in the leaked FTC emails. Things didn’t wind up that way, but at least, for a time, the game was planning to launch on Sony’s platform.

In addition, across other emails, several studios were named as potential targets for the company to acquire. As revealed by the FTC emails, here’s a list of companies that were, or perhaps still are, being looked at:

• Bungie
• IO Interactive
• Supergiant
• Thunderful
• Niantic
• Zynga
• Playtrix
• Paradox Interactive
• Team Cherry
• Remedy Entertainment

However, some of these are no longer for sale, considering Sony purchased Bungie and Take-Two acquired Zynga.

Another email in the FTC leaks reported that there were talks in 2020 to try and acquire SEGA, but those discussions would ultimately also fall through. There is no current word on why that happened.

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Microsoft vs. FTC leaks reveal calendar of upcoming games: Fallout 3, Oblivion, and more

As a part of the Microsoft vs. FTC leaks, quite a few games were revealed to be in development. However, this is from July 2020 and was a screenshot of upcoming titles before the ZeniMax/Bethesda purchase.

It’s not currently known if any of these games are on the way, but some of them are quite interesting. These include Dishonored 3, a Ghostwire: Tokyo sequel, Doom Year Zero, and further DLC.

An Oblivion Remaster was scheduled for 2022. A Fallout 3 Remake was planned for 2024’s Fiscal Year. Unfortunately, it’s unknown if either of these is still on the way.

There were also projects without names on the way, such as Project Kestrel, which featured an expansion, and Project Platinum. There was also an Indiana Jones project upcoming, but there is no word on its status from these FTC leaks.

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Microsoft vs. FTC leaks reveal Xbox Series X Refresh

While this decision might prove to be unpopular in the future, 2024 is scheduled to see a refresh of the Xbox Series X console. Designed as a cylindrical machine, it isn’t adding more power to the console.

Instead, it offers faster Wi-Fi and more internal storage, as well as reduced power usage. It will also reportedly have a more immersive gyro controller.

The problem for many will be that this is a digital-only console. Players will have no choice but to buy games for it online or use Game Pass instead of purchasing discs for the platform.

Many gamers are still fans of physical media. This will also reportedly have the same price as a regular Xbox Series X, at $499.

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Undoubtedly, more will be uncovered from these FTC Microsoft email leaks in the next few days. We will keep our coverage up-to-date with all emerging information as and when we find them.

While leaks aren’t always enjoyable for many, this has given fans insight into how Microsoft conducts business and what the future potentially looks like.