Phil Spencer reveals why he has a Switch on his shelf & Xbox fighters in Smash

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has finally revealed why he has a Nintendo Switch on his shelf and explained how Microsoft characters can keep on appearing in the Super Smash Bros franchise.

Phil Spencer’s shelf has become quite the story. With numerous projects seemingly teased on it, many have come to believe the Switch was no accident and a possible collaboration between Microsoft and Nintendo is in the works.

As rumors of Master Chief joining Smash Ultimate have grown, the Switch on the shelf has become increasingly relevant in the eyes of fans and now Phil Spencer has finally explained the story behind the Nintendo console.

Joining Kinda Funny Gamescast as a special guest, Spencer was asked about his shelf and how much thought goes into it. According to Phil, “it’s probably a mistake on his part.”

Phil Spencer’s Switch mystery solved

“This back here is really just a collection of things from people I know in the industry and friends,” he said. “And that’s about it. I’m not trying to signal anything.”

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Regarding the Switch in particular, it was actually a gift from Nintendo and President Doug Bowser.

Spencer was also asked about getting Banjo into Smash Ultimate, Microsoft-exclusive characters such as Cuphead appearing in the game and if more things are planned with Nintendo.

Could more Xbox fighters come to Smash Ultimate?

According to the Xbox boss, Nintendo is a “special” company and he talks with their people often. While he didn’t tease any future announcements, he is very open to the idea of working more with Nintendo and even Sony on projects that he feels would help “grow the industry.”

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So, this may be a major blow to Master Chief’s chances of coming to Smash Ultimate, although that doesn’t rule things out completely, it seems as if this wasn’t a big hint after all.

Spencer also said that he just lets Studios such as Rare go and drive ideas or work with Nintendo. The same thing with Bethesda and some of the things they’re doing “with Doom.”

“I really just want to empower the creators to feel like they own the franchises they’re working on. They own those characters, stories and worlds. Let them be the captain of the ship. I don’t want to be the one to come in and matchmake in certain scenarios.”

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So, it looks like if we end up getting a character like Doomslayer in Smash, it will be on Bethesda to make it happen. As we know, Bethesda actually did reach out about getting him added to the game, so it’s possible we see the Slayer as the final DLC fighter.

Of course, there’s no guarantee we see an Xbox rep as the next DLC, but it’s good to see that Microsoft lets its studios go out and try to expand their games into Smash.