For the last while, any time Phil Spencer has been seen doing presentations from his office, eagle-eyed fans have spotted a certain Nintendo console on his shelf. It's a curious addition alongside a statue of Kojima Productions' Ludens and several different Xbox controllers. After many Switch fans have questioned its presence, Spencer has revealed an explanation in an interview.
Phil Spencer is the head of the Xbox brand. Those familiar with Xbox's E3 Presentations over the years should recognize his face and voice easily. Despite the obvious competition between his work, Nintendo, and Sony, it's with Spencer's lead that Xbox has remained amicable and friendly with what used to be their toughest competitors.
That friendship is why that Nintendo Switch is on his shelf, Spencer tells Kinda Funny Gamescast. He says it was a gift from Doug Bowser and his team across the way, as their offices reside in the same city of Redmond, Washington. The Xbox head even states that it was given to him personally when the Switch launched.
Why the console simply sits on his shelf as a symbol of their friendship is rather heartwarming in itself, as Phil Spencer says he actually has another Switch at home he actually uses to play Nintendo's games with. That means he also purchased one himself back when it launched, which just shows further goodwill between the companies.
For those that remember the days of the Console Wars of the '90s, it's very obvious things have changed since those days. Though, some rumors circulating suggest there may be more to this than just a simple Nintendo Switch. The head of Xbox may have said that it was a gift and that he has one safe at home that sees his actual playtime, but some rumors have pointed towards there being a collaboration between Nintendo and Microsoft to be announced this fall.
There's been nothing just yet to reassure that fact, so fans should sit tight and wait to see if something bigger comes out of Nintendo and Microsoft being on good terms. After all, collaborations between them have already been in motion, and Banjo-Kazooie coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been one of them. Until anything more comes to light, it's still nice to see that video games allow people like Doug Bowser and Phil Spencer to shake hands rather than continuously compete for customers and sales.