For real, it just isn't big enough. People sometimes forget that Microsoft's corporate headquarters and Nintendo of America are both based in Redmond, Washington, literally right down the street from each other. The problem? Both Microsoft and NOA are growing, but room in which to expand is quickly becoming scarce. Nintendo has filed a development proposal that would more than double its existing space in the city. But Nintendo doesn't technically have any plans to develop the land. Call this a defensive maneuver.
See, Microsoft's Redmond campus already occupies around 8 million square feet, and employs 28,000 workers. Because
of Microsoft's commanding presence in the town, and because of the subsequent traffic congestion, the city has placed a
cap on the amount of land that is up for development. Lately Microsoft has been seeking approval to add 2 million
square feet to its campus, enough to house 10,000 new employees. That, combined with Nintendo's 550,000 square foot
proposal, would exceed the cap by over 250,000 square feet. Fortunately, Microsoft has agreed to concede the
overlapping amount from its proposal, in exchange for top dibs on the land should the cap ever be raised. All in all,
it's good to see these two companies working together towards an agreement, rather than—oh, I don't know—Microsoft just
breaking down and buying Nintendo.
Check out this map of Redmond for a visual recap, courtesy of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
