Editing Microsoft

|title         = Microsoft

|logo           = [[File:Microsoft logo.svg|250px]]

|type           = Public

|headquarters   = {{flag|USA}} Redmond, Washington

|founded       = April 4, 1975

|key_people     = John W. Thompson <br> Brad Smith <br> Satya Nadella <br> Bill Gates <br> Phil Spencer

|industry       = Technology

|products       = Computers, Software, Video Games

|num_employees = 134,944 <small>(2018)</small>

|website       = https://www.microsoft.com/

'''Microsoft Corporation''' is an American technology company founded on April 4, 1975 by {{s|wikipedia|Bill Gates}} and the late {{s|wikipedia|Paul Allen}}. The origins of Microsoft can be traced back to 1972 when Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Traf-O-Data, which primarily developed computers meant to calculate and interpret raw data collected by traffic counters and cameras. In 1975, the two developed and pitched a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800 microcomputer. Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) agreed to sell the interpreter, now called Altair BASIC. Gates and Allen would shut down Traf-O-Data and establish Microsoft around this time. The company would become a leader in the technology industry, with operating systems like Xenix and MS-DOS, and later {{s|wikipedia|Microsoft Windows}}, as well as the Microsoft Office Suite, the Internet Explorer web browser, the MSX line of personal computers, and the Bing search engine. The company is also known for manufacturing hardware products, including the {{s|wikipedia|Xbox}} video game consoles. Its video game division, {{s|wikipedia|Xbox Game Studios}}, publishes well-known series such as ''Halo'', ''Gears of War'', ''Forza'' and ''Fable'' in addition to indie-developed titles such as ''Super Lucky's Tale'', ''Ori and the Blind Forest'', and its sequel ''Ori and the Will of the Wisps''.<!--Note: Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft did not publish Cuphead nor do they own the IP. The game was self-published and owned by its developer, Studio MDHR, so do not add it here as Microsoft has no involvement in the property other than finance it-->  

On September 24th, 2002, Microsoft purchased [[Rare]], alongside the license for their original intellectual properties, such as {{uv|Banjo-Kazooie}}, {{uv|Perfect Dark}}, and ''Conker''. Rare's contributions to the {{uv|Donkey Kong}} and {{uv|Star Fox}} franchises remain under Nintendo's ownership, excluding certain characters from ''Diddy Kong Racing''. <!--Note: Tiptup reappeared in Banjo-Kazooie's remaster on Xbox Live. (while a very small DK cameo was changed entirely) T.T. and Tiptup both appeared in a pitch for a cancelled Xbox game called the Fast and the Furriest which had no Nintendo involvement. Taking these two facts into consideration it seems safe to assume Microsoft owns the DKR characters--> On November 6th, 2014, Microsoft purchased [[Mojang Studios]], alongside the {{uv|Minecraft}} franchise, from its original founder, {{s|wikipedia|Markus Persson}}. On September 21, 2020, Microsoft announced that it agreed to acquire {{iw|wikipedia|ZeniMax Media}}, which was finalized on March 9, 2021. On December 2nd, 2020, Microsoft acquired popular tournament organizing website [[smash.gg]].

Microsoft owns [[Rare Ltd.]], the company that created the {{uv|Banjo-Kazooie}} franchise and owns its titular characters, [[Banjo]] and [[Kazooie]]. The ''Banjo-Kazooie'' universe debuted in ''Ultimate'' as DLC on September 4, 2019, with {{SSBU|Banjo & Kazooie}} as a playable fighter, alongside the stage [[Spiral Mountain]], a location from the original ''Banjo-Kazooie'' games, multiple spirits, and 10 music tracks from both ''Banjo-Kazooie'' and ''Banjo-Tooie'', including a remix composed by Grant Kirkhope, the original composer of the ''Banjo-Kazooie'' games.

Microsoft also owns [[Mojang Studios]], the company that created the {{uv|Minecraft}} franchise. The default skin from the game, {{SSBU|Steve}} was released in ''Ultimate'' as the second fighter for the Fighters Pass Vol. 2, along with {{SSBU|alternate costume}}s based on the secondary skin [[Steve|Alex]] and two common enemies from the games, the [[Zombie]] and the [[Enderman]], alongside the stage [[Minecraft World]], multiple spirits and 7 music tracks from ''Minecraft'', ''Minecraft Earth'' and ''Minecraft Dungeons''.

Two characters from properties published by the Microsoft-owned [[List of companies with minor representation#Bethesda Softworks|Bethesda Softworks]], [[Vault Boy]] from the {{uvm3|Fallout}} series and the [[Dragonborn]] from ''The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'', also appear as DLC Mii Fighter costumes. It should be noted that Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft after the Vault Boy costume's release.

**{{uv|Banjo-Kazooie}} and {{uv|Perfect Dark}} were owned by [[Rare]] (and in ''Banjo-Kazooie''{{'}}s case, co-owned by Nintendo) prior to Microsoft's acquisition of the former company in 2002.

**{{uv|Minecraft}} was owned solely by [[Mojang Studios]] prior to Microsoft's acquisition of the company in 2014.

**{{uvm3|Fallout}} and {{uvm3|The Elder Scrolls}} were owned by ZeniMax Media (by way of Bethesda Studios) prior to Microsoft's acquisition of the company in 2021.

***Additionally, ''Fallout'' was originally owned by Interplay Entertainment before selling the IP to Bethesda Studios.

*Microsoft is the third third-party company to be introduced to the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series as DLC, the first two being [[Square Enix]] and [[Atlus]].

*Microsoft is the first major Western third-party company to be introduced to the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series.

*During [[Mr. Sakurai Presents#Mr. Sakurai Presents "Banjo & Kazooie"|Mr. Sakurai Presents "Banjo & Kazooie"]], [[Masahiro Sakurai]] recommended that players play the original {{uv|Banjo-Kazooie}} titles on the Xbox One, the mention of which caused the word "Xbox" to be [http://web.archive.org/web/20190909020028/https://www.nintendoenthusiast.com/2019/09/05/trend-xbox-twitter-japan/ the number one trending topic on Twitter in Japan], due to the console's infamously poor performance in the country.

*Microsoft is the first of two third-party companies to have more than one DLC fighter in ''Ultimate'' ({{SSBU|Banjo & Kazooie}} and {{SSBU|Steve}}), with the second being [[Square Enix]] ({{SSBU|Hero}}, {{SSBU|Sephiroth}}, and {{SSBU|Sora}}).

**Square Enix also precedes Microsoft in having multiple major universes that all debuted in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series through DLC.