Tag: Phil Spencer - Page 5
News Phil Spencer "Wouldn't Take No For An Answer" When Creating Xbox Game Pass
Persistence pays off
It's safe to say that Phil Spencer has transformed Xbox since he took over the brand in 2014. Perhaps the biggest transformation, aside from studio acquisitions, is Xbox Game Pass. However, persuading those at Microsoft that Game Pass was a good idea, wasn't always easy. In a WSJ report on Microsoft's
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Is Getting A Lifetime Achievement Award
Very well deserved!
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has announced today that Xbox boss Phil Spencer will be the recipient of the AIAS Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards ceremony in Las Vegas later this month. The award will be presented to Spencer by Bethesda's Todd Howard, and you'll be able to watch the...
News Phil Spencer Congratulates Psychonauts 2 On Winning GOTY At New York Game Awards
"One of the great games of 2021"
2021 might be long gone at this point, but we're still getting the odd few Game of the Year awards cropping up, and the latest is courtesy of the New York Game Awards which has gifted the GOTY honour to Double Fine's Psychonauts 2. In response, Xbox boss Phil Spencer took to Twitter today to share his...
News Major Gaming Deals Are In The 'Final Stages Of Negotiations', Says Geoff Keighley
Who's next?
The latest gaming company to get snapped up is Bungie, with Sony picking them up at a price of $3.6 billion. Well, there may be more deals coming in the short term, as companies compete for the strongest library of games. The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley has taken to Twitter today to reveal that he's heard some major video game...
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Congratulates Sony On Bungie Acquisition
Head of PlayStation Studios says it's "exciting times to be a gamer"
PlayStation has finally responded to Microsoft's string of acquisitions - announcing it will be acquiring the American developer Bungie (the studio known for Destiny and the original Halo series on Xbox) for $3.6 billion. Destiny 2 is one of Phil Spencer's favourite games on the...
Random Phil Spencer Has Been Playing Some Call Of Duty: Vanguard On Xbox
Checking out his new purchase
This past week was one of the busiest not just in Phil Spencer's time as Head of Xbox, but also for the Xbox brand itself, and the Microsoft Gaming CEO has been using his downtime to analyse Microsoft's new purchase. Multiple Xbox fans have been pointing out that they've spotted Spencer ("P3" on Xbox) playing the...
News Activision Blizzard Employees Dissatisfied With Kotick At Internal Meeting
But there's optimism about Xbox
There's still a lot that needs to happen at Activision Blizzard before the Xbox takeover can be considered a success. For those working at Activision Blizzard, CEO Bobby Kotick's involvement in the company is a top priority. Kotick recently addressed his workforce in an internal meeting about the Xbox deal. Dubbed...
News Xbox Boss 'Trusts' Nintendo & PlayStation, More Concerned About 'Other Tech Competitors'
"They won't do anything that damages gaming..."
While there's a lot of focus on how certain video game companies like PlayStation will respond to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard (valued at close to $70 billion), it seems Xbox might be focused on much bigger threats. According to The Washington Post, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer...
News Xbox's Phil Spencer Confirms Plans To Keep Call Of Duty On PlayStation
Along with honouring "all existing agreements"
There's your answer, folks! Xbox boss and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has confirmed today that the Call of Duty franchise will remain on PlayStation following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In a message on Twitter, Spencer promised to "honour all existing agreements" with Sony in...
News Xbox Will Get Activision Blizzard To Work On Classic Franchises, Says Phil Spencer
"I’m looking forward to these conversations"
Xbox boss and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has been talking to The Washington Post as part of a new interview, and he mentioned during the discussion that he wants Activision Blizzard to work on some of its classic franchises. Spencer highlighted during the chat that Xbox now owns IP such as...
News Activision CEO Wants Guitar Hero & Skylanders To Return On Xbox
"Phil and I started riffing on things for the future"
Remember when Activision Blizzard made games that weren't Call of Duty? Look, we know we're exaggerating, but seriously, the publisher's output was once a lot more varied than in recent years. That output included the likes of Guitar Hero and Skylanders, which Activision Blizzard's CEO seems to...
Video Phil Spencer & Bobby Kotick Discuss The Future Of Activision Blizzard Under Xbox
"We really saw this as an amazing opportunity"
So far, we haven't seen much of the two bosses since the Xbox and Activision Blizzard deal shook us. Sure, the Xbox announcement was written by Phil Spencer, and Bobby Kotick has commented on the deal, but talking on camera feels more direct. Well, the pair of them went live on CNBC yesterday, January...
News Phil Spencer Will Lead Activision Blizzard Teams As CEO Of Microsoft Gaming
Quite the promotion
The news that Xbox is in the process of buying out Activision, adding their development teams to its portfolio, is absolutely massive. So big, that it looks like things are changing for gaming at Microsoft. Tucked into the purchase announcement post, is a look at the new gaming structure at Microsoft for when the deal goes...
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Reveals His Thoughts On A PlayStation Game Pass
'It's an inevitability...'
One of the big stories to come out of December was a report that Sony was preparing its own version of Xbox Game Pass for the PlayStation brand, with the suggestion that it was going to launch in Spring 2022. Now, in response to that, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has told IGN that he believes it's an "inevitability" that...
News Head Of Xbox Phil Spencer Celebrates His Birthday Eve Finishing Up The Ascent
Have a great day Phil!
Phil Spencer has been a shining light since he took over as Head of Xbox, so it's only right we help him celebrate his birthday! January 12, 2022 marks Spencer's 54th birthday, and it looks like he kept himself busy during his birthday eve. No, he wasn't at some lavish party somewhere. Spencer was finishing up the main...
News Netflix Is 'Smartly' Moving Into The Gaming Space, Says Head Of Xbox
"I think it’s smart what they’re doing"
Netflix took its first proper steps into the world of gaming last year with the creation of Netflix Games — a new service in which you can download and play mobile games on Android and iOS as part of your Netflix membership. The company says it plans to "continue improving our mobile gaming experience...
News Phil Spencer Wants The Gaming Industry To Implement Cross-Platform Bans
Or at least allow you to bring across banned user lists
One of the topics that Phil Spencer discussed in his recent interview with The New York Times was that of toxicity on Xbox Live and how the brand deals with it, which led to some interesting insights from the Head of Xbox. To start with, Spencer pointed out that Xbox has A.I. tools in place to...
News Phil Spencer Discusses Xbox Series X|S Sales, Over 12 Million Reportedly Shipped So Far
The fastest-selling Xbox consoles of all time
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer recently spoke with The New York Times, discussing all things Xbox and gaming at large. We already took a look at his comments on Microsoft's relationship with Activision, which has "changed" in light of recent allegations against Activision Blizzard. Spencer also talked more...
News Xbox Boss: We've Changed How We Do Certain Things With Activision
"And they’re aware of that"
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has been talking as part of a new interview with The New York Times, in which he gave his thoughts about the recent allegations at Activision Blizzard, admitting that Xbox's relationship with the company has changed — "and they're aware of that". Back in November, Spencer was said to have...
News Phil Spencer Has Been Taking Some Snaps In The Ascent On Xbox
The dev seems overjoyed
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer is a true gamer and we know he loves to spend his time in titles like Destiny 2. More recently it's been 343's hit Halo Infinite. So, what's he been up to lately? It seems he's now checking out the gritty cyberpunk action RPG, The Ascent — making use of the capture feature. If you've not played...
Random Phil Spencer Sends Birthday Message To 'Incredibly Special' Xbox UK Employee
"You bring so much to what Xbox is about"
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer seems like one of the best bosses you could possibly hope to work for, and he recently took some time out of his busy schedule to record a birthday message for Xbox UK employee, Charleyy Hodson. As you can see in the video below, Spencer acknowledges the Social Media Manager and...
News Xbox Boss: The 'Metaverse' Needs To Put Players And Creators First, Otherwise It'll Fail
"You have to start with that as a core principle"
Anyone else getting pretty stumped by this whole "metaverse" thing?! Essentially, it's what Microsoft describes as "a new version – or a new vision – of the internet, one where people gather to communicate, collaborate, and share with a personal virtual presence on any device". You've probably...
Random Phil Spencer Is Hitting The Slopes This Winter With His Xbox Snowboard
"Beginning of another season"
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer continues to prove that he's just the coolest boss the brand has ever seen, as he took to Twitter yesterday to highlight his enthusiasm for hitting the slopes this winter with his official Xbox snowboard. The tweet racked up almost 3k likes, in which he stated that he was "looking forward to...
News Xbox's Phil Spencer Celebrates Minecraft Reaching 1 Trillion Views On YouTube
"This is amazing"
The team at Mojang Studios has been celebrating an incredible milestone today, as Minecraft content has reached an unbelievable 1 trillion views on YouTube — and Xbox's Phil Spencer has even been joining in with the congratulations. Taking to Twitter, Spencer thanked the Minecraft community for their incredible efforts:...
News Phil Spencer Explains Why The Kinect Was An Important Step For Xbox
Its legacy (kind of) lives on today
Some Xbox fans might look back on the days of the Kinect in a negative light, but Xbox boss Phil Spencer has highlighted that the device was an important point in the evolution of the brand, and its legacy (kind of) lives on today. In an interview with Edge Magazine, Spencer conceded that forcing everyone to play...
News Xbox's Phil Spencer Says Console Wars 'Don't Help The Industry Grow'
'I spend zero energy on it'
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has been making some comments to mark the 20th anniversary of Xbox in a new interview with Edge magazine, which involved him reiterating his stance on the idea of a modern-day console war. As transcribed by VGC, Spencer explained that he spends "zero energy" on console wars, as he's "more...
News Phil Spencer Thinks The Xbox Of Today Could Have Held On To Bungie
"We've learned a lot"
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has been talking to Axios about Bungie's split from Microsoft back in 2007, admitting that based on how Xbox operates today, he believes Microsoft could have held onto the Destiny and former Halo developer. "We've learned a lot", Spencer told the outlet about Bungie's history with Xbox. He pointed out...
News Phil Spencer: Xbox Is 'Refilling The Pipe' With Ambitious New Ideas For The Future
"We've got to be constantly pushing the boundaries"
Xbox head Phil Spencer has made a number of appearances on Major Nelson's podcast recently, speaking a little bit more about the brand's plans for the long-term future, including how he excited he is for the so-called "Horizon 3" plans. The Xbox team breaks down its future plans into "Horizon 1"...
News Phil Spencer Reportedly 'Evaluating' Xbox's Relationship With Activision
And "making ongoing proactive adjustments"
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has reportedly told staff that his team are “disturbed and deeply troubled by the horrific events and actions” at Activision Blizzard, following allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment. This story was brought back to the forefront this week after The Wall Street Journal...
News Phil Spencer Calls For Industry-Wide Support Of Emulation To Preserve Video Games
"Buy any game, or own any game and continue to play"
Just days after Xbox's compatibility program lead Peggy Lo said the team had "reached the limit" of its ability to bring new games to the backwards compatible catalog due to various technical and licensing roadblocks, head of Xbox Phil Spencer has now called for the entire games industry to get...
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Says He's Wary Of 'Exploitative' NFT Game Projects
"We don't want that kind of content"
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has been commenting about NFTs in an interview with Axios, explaining to the outlet that while he isn't necessarily opposed to the idea of NFT gaming, certain efforts that he's seen feel "exploitative". "What I'd say today on NFT, all up, is I think there's a lot of speculation and...
News Phil Spencer: Xbox Game Pass Isn't 'Burning Cash', It's Very Sustainable
"And it continues to grow"
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has been talking to Axios as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations this week, and he made a particularly interesting comment about Xbox Game Pass, reassuring fans that it's "very, very sustainable". Spencer acknowledged that a lot has been written about Microsoft having to "burn cash" in order...
News Phil Spencer Criticises How Xbox Handled The Halo Infinite Delay
"I don’t like how we did it"
The delay of Halo Infinite was undoubtedly the lowest point for Xbox in 2020, with the game having to be removed from being an Xbox Series X and Series S launch title, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer says he "didn't like" how it was handled. Speaking to GQ, Spencer explained that he wasn't a fan of how Xbox was showcasing...
News Microsoft Is Pushing Xbox's Phil Spencer To Think About Succession
"I have more years behind me than ahead of me"
We've already highlighted Xbox boss Phil Spencer's comments about The Elder Scrolls 6 from a GQ interview which went live earlier today, and as part of that same discussion, Spencer talked a little bit about his
News Phil Spencer: The Elder Scrolls 6's Xbox Exclusivity 'Isn't About Punishing PlayStation'
"I want us to be able to bring the full complete package..."
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has conducted a huge interview with the folks over at GQ, and one of the topics that was brought up during the discussion was that of The Elder Scrolls 6's Xbox exclusivity, which is seemingly confirmed. According to GQ, Phil Spencer expects the game to be Xbox and...
News Xbox Boss Congratulates PlayStation Exec On The PS5's First Anniversary
Good guy Phil Spencer
It was Xbox's turn to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S this past Wednesday, and now Sony is doing the same thing with the PlayStation 5 today - first released on November 12th, 2020. In a post on Twitter, PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst thanked the fans "for making the first year...
News Phil Spencer Wants Xbox To Invest In More 'Social, Casual Content'
"We have a lot of ambition"
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has been speaking as part of an interview at the Paley International Council Summit this week, and as reported by Bloomberg, he made some comments about wanting to invest in more "social, casual content". Spencer namedropped the likes of Minecraft, Roblox, FIFA and
News Forza Horizon 5 Passes 4.5 Million Players, Biggest Launch Day In Xbox Game Studios History
Phil Spencer gives his thoughts
Forza Horizon 5 is now officially available to everyone on Xbox Game Pass, and head of Xbox Phil Spencer took to Twitter last night to confirm that the game has now passed 4.5 million players altogether. In addition, the game achieved the biggest launch day of any Xbox Game Studios title in history, and Spencer says...
Random Xbox Employees Show Off Their Age Of Empires Custom Portraits
"We ride at dawn - Wololo!"
To mark the release of Age of Empires 4 on Xbox Game Pass for PC last week, various Xbox employees were gifted custom portraits inspired by the game, and we've been able to get a glimpse at them thanks to social media. Initially, GM of Xbox games marketing Aaron Greenberg shared his on Twitter, as you can see below:...
News Xbox Head Phil Spencer Gives His Reaction To Halo Infinite's Campaign Footage
"I love the energy in the community"
There's been a lot of positivity flying around the Halo and Xbox communities following today's first look at updated campaign footage for Halo Infinite, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer has also weighed in with his thoughts. Asked on social media about how he felt regarding Halo Infinite and its "sho
News Phil Spencer Showers Praise On New Game Pass Title Echo Generation
"Having a great time so far"
This week has brought us a few excellent Xbox Game Pass additions, and of them is turn-based adventure Echo Generation, which launched with the service earlier this week. And so far, Xbox boss Phil Spencer is a big fan. Taking to Twitter, the head of Xbox showered praise on the game, calling it "perfect for any device"...
News Petition To 'Improve Xbox Globalisation' Receives Over 1500 Signatures
"We ask you, please listen"
A petition to improve Xbox's globalisation efforts has now received over 1500 signatures, with the primary complaint being that "out of 193 countries on the planet, only 42 are currently supported by Xbox, and most in a poor way." Campaign leader and Xbox Ambassador Catarina Ferreira highlighted the petition's latest...
News Phil Spencer: Xbox Won't Be Making A VR Headset Anytime Soon
"We’re focused a lot more on the software side"
Xbox head Phil Spencer has made numerous comments about his lack of interest in getting into the VR hardware space in the past, and if you were hoping he'd changed his mind, we've unfortunately got some bad news to share. Spencer mentioned during WSJ Tech Live earlier this week that the Xbox team...
News Phil Spencer Again Reiterates That Xbox Is 'Not Done' With Acquisitions
"We're always out there looking"
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer appeared in a brief chat as part of WSJ Tech Live yesterday, where he made some very fleeting comments about acquisitions, once again confirming that Xbox is "always out there looking" for new studios. That said, he also made sure to note that there's "no quota, no timeline" in which this...
News Phil Spencer: Xbox Series X|S Supply Issues Will Continue Into 2022
"It’s going to be with us for months and months"
If you were hoping to easily grab an Xbox Series X|S before the year's end, then you might want to temper those expectations. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said he believes the shortages will carry on into 2022. Speaking to The Wrap (thanks VGC for the transcription), Spencer said there are multiple...
News Phil Spencer 'Thrilled' To Have Crystal Dynamics Partnering On Perfect Dark
"Great to see continued momentum"
Last night, the huge news of Crystal Dynamics and The Initiative joining forces on Perfect Dark hit the web. It's said the game is still early in development, and the teams couldn't pass up the opportunity to work together. It's also a collaboration that Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said he's "thrilled" to see happen...
News Phil Spencer Celebrates Nintendo GameCube Anniversary By Sharing His Favourite GC Game
A man of taste
Nintendo fans have been shocked to realise the GameCube is now 20 years old. We'll soon be in the same boat with the original Xbox's birthday fast approaching this November! To celebrate the milestone, fans have been sharing their favourite GC titles, including head of Xbox Phil Spencer, who revealed his fondness for Eternal Darkness...
News Replaced Devs Say Phil Spencer's Reaction To The Game Was 'Out Of This World'
"It was mind-blowing"
When Replaced was first shown at the Xbox E3 Showcase this year, the reaction to the game was extremely positive. Its stylish combat, art design and soundtrack pushed the game very high up on many people's radars, Xbox boss Phil Spencer being one of them. His response was something that the team has described as "mind-blowing".
News Xbox Head Phil Spencer Has Already Got His Hands On Valve's Steam Deck
He's been hanging out with Gabe Newell this week
We've heard how Valve's recently announced Steam Deck can be used as a handheld Xbox and now head of Microsoft's gaming division, Phil Spencer, appears to have got his hands on one. In his latest post on social media, Spencer revealed how he actually visited Valve's HQ earlier this week to talk to...
News Xbox Wants To 'Do Something Different' To Other Platforms, Explains Phil Spencer
"Our strategy is not to just go be like someone else"
Xbox's vision has shifted in recent years. Following on from former Xbox exec Don Mattrick seemingly doing everything in his power to destroy the brand, Phil Spencer then took over the reins to get us where we are today. With the Xbox Series X and Series S, Game Pass,and a wave of exclusives on...
