# Former Microsoft game publishing vice president Ed Fries discussed the infamously heated meeting in 2000 in which Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer almost canned the original console.

*business · news · 2026-04-08 · Windows Central*

## Key points

- Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer nearly canceled the original Xbox during a heated 2000 meeting.
- Xbox was approved mainly as a strategic hedge against Sony's potential threat to Microsoft.
- Microsoft's leadership feared Japan's rising tech influence, not just PlayStation's market share.
- At the time, all major console competitors and key developers were Japanese companies.

**Companies:** Microsoft
**Countries:** United States, Japan

[Read the full story on Windows Central](https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/ex-microsoft-gaming-vp-reveals-why-xbox-was-greenlit-despite-how-unlikely-it-was)

---

Canonical: https://newsio.io/n/4f7bf0da-ccaa-4be7-9f2b-480a86009301/former-microsoft-game-publishing-vice-president-ed-fries-discussed-the-infamousl
Summarized by Newsio from Windows Central. https://newsio.io/how-it-works