All the Major Revelations From the FTC vs. Xbox Court Document Leaks

Interest in vampire-hunting co-op shooter Redfall has dwindled to the extent that the game's concurrent Steam player count is now regularly dropping to single digits. At times, the number of players has been so low that there aren't even enough people to fill a single full four-player co-op team.

There’s been a lot of talk about Phil Spencer and Xbox lately due to the leaked email issue that flooded the news channels last week. The brand and Microsoft were put under the spotlight in the worst way because of past statements that were made public by accident because of the FTC court battle they won. But even with those issues, Spencer is still taking time to build up the Xbox brand and assure gamers that big things are coming. For example, you might know that the Xbox line has never done well in Japan sales-wise.

Microsoft made a number of announcements during its Xbox Digital Broadcast at Tokyo Game Show 2023, most of which revolved around Japan and Japan-inspired games and updates. Xbox boss Phil Spencer and Head of Xbox Creator Experience Sarah Bond talked about the importance of the Japanese market. "Japan will always have a special place in my heart for pioneering innovative ways to play, from the Game Boy, to PSP, to the Switch," Spencer said.

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Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer considered buying Nintendo at one point, a leaked 2020 email revealed. Multiple documents from Microsoft's trial with the US FTC were leaked Tuesday, with one showing a casual discussion about buying the Mario maker, where Spencer called it a “career moment” and implied that a collaboration would be a ‘good move' for either company. It's worth highlighting that this conversation happened in August 2020, before Microsoft acquired Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion (about Rs. 62,431 crore). The leaks also disclosed Bethesda's release schedule, alongside details for Microsoft's planned mid-generation console refresh.

Xbox head Phil Spencer has made a statement regarding the recent FTC v Microsoft court case leaks, addressing employees in an internal email and giving a shorter, public statement on social media.

The court documents from Microsoft’s FTC case are the gift that just keeps giving, although in this instance it seems someone released a document they should have not, as it’s been removed the US courts website.

Following a huge leak of confidential Microsoft documents which revealed apparent plans for a new Xbox controller and Xbox Series X refresh, it looks clear that Microsoft itself is responsible for the accidental info dump.

If you haven’t been paying attention to the internet lately, you’re likely out of the loop on the major court documents that have been leaked to the public. These documents were from Microsoft during their case with the FTC. As a quick recap, the FTC case featured the government body trying to stop Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard. They felt, not unlike Sony that the move would help “monopolize” certain parts of the gaming industry and give the Xbox brand an unfair advantage. Microsoft was able to pull off the win, but then this leak came out, and it’s not exactly the best look for the company.

The court documents from Microsoft’s FTC case are the gift that just keeps giving, although in this instance it seems someone released a document they should have not, as it’s been removed the US courts website.

Following today's mega-sized Xbox leak — which has given us word of a planned digital-only Xbox Series X/S refresh and new controller, a tantalising Bethesda release roadmap, first details of a brand-new Xbox in 2028, confirmation Xbox boss Phil Spencer is awfully keen to buy Nintendo, and more — the US Federal Trade Commission has stepped forward to quell any bubbling conspiracy theories and emphatically state it was not responsible (it was Microsoft).

One of the most amusing takeaways from Microsoft’s leaked court documents is their hopes for further acquisitions. They’re a bit pie in the sky, to say the least.