It's been pretty much unanimously accepted that Phil Spencer has done a superb job as head of Xbox since taking over in March of 2014, and the only thing that worries us is that one day he'll have to step down from the role!
However, speaking as part of the IGN Unlocked 500 podcast, Spencer highlighted that he's not planning to retire anytime soon, saying he loves the job he's in, while also acknowledging that he won't be there forever.
"This is the job I want, I love this job. I think I've got more to go do, but I also know at some point, somebody else will be in this position... but I feel like I definitely have a lot more to do here, and I have a job that I'm just incredibly inspired by every day."
"It's something that I do love, but at some point there will be another head of Xbox, [and] I hope they're better at this job than I am, I think any leader should aspire to that. What can I do now with the leaders on the team to help give them the experiences so this brand is in a position to be strong for decades to come? I think that's a real responsibility that I have in this role."
The head of Xbox talked about a lot of other topics during the interview, including the infamous Xbox One launch, the potential of releasing special editions of the Xbox Series X and S, and much more, so definitely give it a watch!
In terms of this little comment though, we're just glad to hear that Spencer is still seemingly enjoying his job as much as ever, and we can only hope he's got many years left as the leader of the Xbox brand. Fingers crossed!
Happy to hear that Phil Spencer hasn't got any plans to leave Xbox just yet? Let us know in the comments.
[source youtube.com]
Comments 16
Do not retire
Honestly, I think we can expect at least ten more years from Spencer. I can't imagine him wanting to retire before making sure that Game Pass has reached its potential, i.e. a high subscriber count with a constant stream of first-party titles every year. Once we've reached a stable position with Game Pass I think he will feel content with passing the torch to the next leader.
Well he is 53 so he will probably go to 60.
So another 7 years would see most things he has started come to fruition.
Overall he has done a good job, especially as the size and worth of Microsoft could dictate things against him as well as for him.
Such a massive organisation with so much power and worth does not always work right for you.
Microsoft needs an army of Phil clones on standby. Just crack out a new one when the current Phil decides he's had enough.
@Dezzy70 That initially seems logical to me but 7 years would likely see us to the start of the next generation. I'd assume he would either want to go well before that or usher in the new gen, as it would be a strange time to jump ship.
But I have faith that he has put in place the right team and processes to organically foster a healthy succession, will be a sad day when it comes though.
Really loved the Humility, honesty, the passion and drive that Phil Spencer has. I was also touched by his comments 're Robert A Altman too...
Well worth watching - regardless of what platform you prefer to game on...
He won't retire. Not ever. He'll simply upload his consciousness into the Game pass matrix, to the point we won't call it Gamepass, we'll call it Spencerverse. And soon, we ourselves will upload our minds into the Spencerverse, becoming one with the cloud, one with the ecosystem, one with the Xbox, all for the low monthly price of 10.99.
Honestly wouldn't surprise me if he Sarah Bond takes over eventually if she's still at Xbox by the time he retires.
She seems to be very instrumental in all things Xbox and was even featured in the Windows 11 reveal as part of the gaming segment.
Obligatory daily 'Phil' article. Look forward to the 'Phil doesn't have plans to eat Turkey this week' and 'Phil decides to holiday in Florida' articles in the near future.
Love the fact he is a gamer. Is happy to acknowledge good games even on other platforms. Without this man I wouldn't be able to play ori on the bog on my switch. Legend!
The day Phil Spencer leaves it's gonna be a very sad day for Xbox..
Papa Xbox will be a tough act to follow.
TPP games are missing.
Phil, do something about it.
Phil is the modern Iwata. The beacon for "gamers" among the suited morass of the games industry that keeps it fun because he loves it.
I've said for years, but the day Phil leaves is the day Xbox reverts to becoming EA-Lite again. PlayStation may look pretty great that day. (Especially if Jim Ryan retires first....)
Glad to hear he's not planning on leaving anytime soon. And yet, if anyone deserves a happy early retirement, it's Phil Spencer.
Maybe his thought patterns can be digitized and uploaded to a super computer, you know, like they did with President Eden. In fact, I believe this was one of the reasons MS bought ZeniMax, since the Bethesda offices are close to Raven Rock.
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