Nintendo once laughed Xbox execs out of the room over a Microsoft acquisition offer

Microsoft’s Xbox consoles are considered a pillar of the industry, part of a trifecta that makes up modern gaming. The first Xbox launched in 2001; the Xbox Series X and S arrived just last year. Today, Xbox is a powerhouse, yet it wasn’t always so. Bloomberg’s Dina Bass published an oral history on the creation of Microsoft’s Xbox that recounts the console’s conception, from an executive retreat through release day — with snags like a failed bid at Nintendo detailed along the way.

The original Xbox was known as Midway — or Coffin Box to some, according to Xbox technology officer Seamus Blackley, “because they worried that it would fail and end their career at Microsoft.” As part of an effort to lock in exclusive games, Microsoft tried...

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