Xbox has plans to foster its relationship with Nintendo during the company's next-gen era. During an interview with Variety, Xbox boss Phil Spencer spoke at length about Microsoft's relationship with the Japanese gaming company and what the future holds for them.

Spencer laid it out bluntly, detailing why Xbox chose peace talks with Nintendo instead of egging on some decades-old console war. Here's everything Spencer said about Microsoft's gaming ally, an he brought it back to the success the two companies had during the Switch 1 era.

Xbox feels the partnership is vital to reach non-PC players

"We’ve been supporting Switch 1, I want to support Switch 2. Nintendo has been a great partner. We think it is a unique way for us to reach players who aren’t PC players, who aren’t players on Xbox," Spencer said, regarding Xbox/Microsoft's relationship with Nintendo. "It lets us continue to grow our community of people that care about the franchises that we have, and that’s really important for us to make sure we continue to invest in our games. I’m really a big believer in what Nintendo means for this industry and us continuing to support them. And getting the support from them for our franchises, I think, is an important part of our future."

And if you're wondering whether or not the release of the upcoming Switch 2 has Xbox on its heels, the answer would be no. Spencer explained that what their company is doing is different from what Nintendo does and serves different "purposes." However, the top brass admitted that they are "inspired" by what other companies, including Nintendo, are currently doing.

"No, I think all of us in this industry should focus on our communities and the player base that we’re building. I get inspired by what a lot of different creators do and other platform holders. But I believe in the plans that we have. Obviously, we’re evolving what it means to be Xbox and meeting players in so many different places...we’re really driven by trying to grow our franchises and our platform to be an important part of gaming for as many of those 3 billion gamers as we can reach."

Recently released Xbox games on Nintendo Switch 1

• "Pentiment from Obsidian Entertainment, a truly unique, critically acclaimed, and award-winning narrative adventure game with a striking visual style inspired by history itself will be coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch on February 22."
• "Hi-Fi RUSH, the award-winning and beloved rhythm-based action game where the world syncs to the music from Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks will be coming to PlayStation 5 on March 19 at midnight UTC, with pre-purchase available on PlayStation 5 digital storefronts on February 22."
• "Grounded – also from Obsidian Entertainment – a co-op survival adventure phenomenon that has welcomed 20 million players into the backyard, will be coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch on April 16. Cross play will be supported across Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC."
• "Sea of Thieves, the shared world adventure game from Rare, will be coming to PlayStation 5 on April 30 – and will be available to wishlist by PlayStation 5 players starting tomorrow, February 22. Having built a passionate community of more than 35 million players from around the world, the support of cross play for Xbox, PlayStation and PC will allow players to experience epic pirate adventures with friends on more platforms."

Nintendo and Xbox have played nice over the years, but it was 2019 when the two gaming giants added a significant chapter to their shared history book. In 2019, the two joined forces to bring forth Banjo-Kazooie as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, sending shockwaves throughout the industry.

Before this, though, Microsoft had inquired about buying Nintendo. Yes, you read that correctly. In an oral history published by Bloomberg in 2021, Microsoft approached Nintendo around 2000 with the idea that it would acquire the company. In response, Nintendo executives "laughed their asses off." Yikes. Well, it seems that the failed business plan worked just fine for both gaming behemoths.

Regardless, it'll be interesting to see what comes of the continued partnership between Xbox and Nintendo during the Switch 2 era and whether or not old characters like Banjo-Kazooie could find new life on the console.

Only time will tell.