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IGN: Phil Spencer Has Now Been Head of Xbox for 10 Years; We Look Back at His First Decade
- Thread starter Thick Thighs Save Lives
- Start date
- Opinion Analysis
Killer8
Member
Phil arguably saved the Xbox business when he took over. Seriously it was this close to just getting shuttered after the Xbox One disaster. If he hadn't pitched the idea that Xbox was actually worth saving to Nutella then the Xbox story would've ended in 2014. Buying up some studios made logical sense as the brand had been coasting on three pillars - Halo, Gears and Forza - as well as money hatting third parties for far too long. Xbox One X helped to lessen the power differential between Xbox and PlayStation. Game Pass was warmly received and in general has been a success for MS. The backwards compatibility initiative, while not perfect, has helped to preserve Xbox's legacy dating back to 2001 and should be applauded.
However. Phil's time at MS should also be a case study in comeback flops and squandered goodwill. Their solution to their first party library problem has continued to just be buying out studio after studio, to fairly mediocre results. We've seen software droughts worse than the 360 era somehow, and generally speaking the reception has been average - some hits, but also some shocking flops (Redfall). It makes you wonder if the billions that have been invested in the last few years were even worth it, as all we can really see is a changing of the guard at those studios rather than them truly adding identity and quality to the Xbox brand. The Series sales are in the toilet and it's gotten so bad that MS are now seemingly pivoting to a pseudo-third party and service focused brand.
Phil might have saved Xbox from the grave but it's now just shambling around like the undead instead.
However. Phil's time at MS should also be a case study in comeback flops and squandered goodwill. Their solution to their first party library problem has continued to just be buying out studio after studio, to fairly mediocre results. We've seen software droughts worse than the 360 era somehow, and generally speaking the reception has been average - some hits, but also some shocking flops (Redfall). It makes you wonder if the billions that have been invested in the last few years were even worth it, as all we can really see is a changing of the guard at those studios rather than them truly adding identity and quality to the Xbox brand. The Series sales are in the toilet and it's gotten so bad that MS are now seemingly pivoting to a pseudo-third party and service focused brand.
Phil might have saved Xbox from the grave but it's now just shambling around like the undead instead.
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Crayon
Member
I vividly remember the formation of a cult.
Bernardougf
Member
Thats just perfect.
S0ULZB0URNE
Member
Perfect timing for this.
I see you IGN!
I see you IGN!
Horseganador
Member
VideoGameEnjoyer
Member
Honesly at this point most games that have skipped Xbox One have been never on the brand, such as Nippon Ichi and Gust games.
Disco Dave
Member
FunkMiller
Gold Member
Hilarious memes aside…
…he really is fucking terrible, isn’t he?
…he really is fucking terrible, isn’t he?
semiconscious
Member
he's just like a number of major game development studios at this point - yes, but they weren't always this way...
Celcius
°Temp. member
This is hilarious and perfect LOLPretty easy to summarize;
It's incredible that they're talking about games like Sunset Overdrive to give him credits.
When he took over he cancelled a lot of projects greenlit under Mattrick, it's why 2016 was the last year with a decent amount of big exclusive games, those were the last Mattrick games.
And among the rare games he didn't cancel he managed to release Crackdown 3, an absolute dogshit game.
After that there was very little variety and ambition in the Xbox releases, a lot of empty years. Some exceptions but not very impressive in such a long period of time
When he took over he cancelled a lot of projects greenlit under Mattrick, it's why 2016 was the last year with a decent amount of big exclusive games, those were the last Mattrick games.
And among the rare games he didn't cancel he managed to release Crackdown 3, an absolute dogshit game.
After that there was very little variety and ambition in the Xbox releases, a lot of empty years. Some exceptions but not very impressive in such a long period of time
LordCBH
Member
Crackdown 3 should’ve been aborted by a rusty coat hanger. Calling it absolute dogshit is too kind.
thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Member
Okay, but that's just one game. The PS5 doesn't get all the niche stuff either, because some of it's exclusive to the Switch in Japan. I don't think any system is 'owed' a game just because the system exists.
That said, I agree with the rest of what you were saying and see why all of that combined made you leave Xbox. I just see the argument about lack of Japanese games on the platform and just get curious what people really mean by that. IMO it probably has more than it deserves considering how it's doing in the market, but it's a far cry from the OG Xbox or even XBO days.
Maybe only the 360 had better Japanese support but that's because it got some lucky defacto exclusives early on, and MS directly funded a few themselves like Blue Dragon which was in addition to all the once-exclusive PS Japanese 3P going multiplat for various reasons that gen.
Kacho
Gold Member
My dude, I love ya but I’m too inebriated for this. I’m talking stuff like EDF and various virtual novels, Ys, Trails from the Sky, etc etc etc. I don’t care enough to come up with a comprehensive list for you. It’s the inconsistency that bothers me. Do you understand?
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Humdinger
Gold Member
I was on an Xbox centric forum from about 2014 to 2019, and during that time, mostly what I saw were people discouraged by the Xbox One launch but who were also very critical of the press reception (Sony bias!). They had a lot of confidence in Phil. They loved the BC program. They loved Gamepass. The problem was the issue of exclusives and "wait until next year." As the years went by, they got gradually more defensive around that subject, jumping like squirrels into console warrior mode the moment it was mentioned. Over time, more and more people drifted away. I visited the forum recently, and it's a shadow of its former self, maybe 20 guys left.
Thick Thighs Save Lives
NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
FIREKNIGHT2029
Member
Tens years of misery. Ten years of broken promises with lots of talk and no action. I’m still trying to figure out how this guy still has a job.
MayauMiao
Member
What a sad display of certain IPs that were never Xbox originals.
kiphalfton
Member
He is either a master troll, or an incompetent idiot. Hard to tell.
reinking
Gold Member
...because they are in the position that they needed to do that. If Xbox was doing better, you can bet those games would not be on PS5.
TVexperto
Member
Its been 10 years of saying oh next year will be great for Xbox and it has not come,I do not understand how people keep giving them the benefit of the doubt and saying if they just get the first party studios rolling.It has not happened and will continue to not happen.They are betting so much on Bethesda returning to its pre Fallout76 self and Activision
Arsic
Loves his juicy stink trail scent
Kumomeme
Member
2014 :
New Xbox head Phil Spencer promises renewed focus on gaming across all Microsoft platforms
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the new head of its Xbox division this morning: Phil Spencer, longtime Microsoft Studios leader and Xbox game dude. In Spencer's initial letter to the legions of Xbox owners the world over, his approach comes across as scattershot. See for yourself: "This...
www.engadget.com
2015 :
Microsoft’s Phil Spencer promises ‘unique,’ potentially divisive changes for Xbox One’s future
Since becoming head of Microsoft’s Xbox division, Phil Spencer has staged a remarkable turnaround in the console’s identity—but he’s not done yet. In a wide-ranging interview with Polygon, Spencer promised big changes for the future of the system that go beyond what we’ve already seen. “This...
xboxrepublika.com
2016 :
Phil Spencer comforts fans and promises new games
After closing Lionhead and Press Play Xbox boss offers reassurances.
2017 :
Xbox Chief Phil Spencer Promises More Xbox One Exclusives in 2017
He says it will be an 'exciting year' for gamers, especially with Project Scorpio coming this holiday.
www.shacknews.com
2018 :
Xbox Chief Phil Spencer Promises To Fix A Serious Problem With Windows 10
Despite having a powerful gaming PC, I play Xbox Play Anywhere games on an Xbox One because the Windows Store is a wreck. Xbox Chief Phil Spencer wants to change things.
www.forbes.com
2019 :
Xbox's Phil Spencer promises big E3 announcements to make up for PlayStation's absence
Xbox promises "new things that nobody has seen before" at its E3 2019 press briefing
2020 :
Xbox Head Promises ‘Deep Portfolio’ of Games at E3 2020
Xbox boss Phil Spencer is excited enough about E3 2020 that he's already building up hype on Twitter, telling fans this year is 'special.'
gamerant.com
2021 :
Xbox promises one new first party game every quarter from now on
Microsoft has laid out its agenda for E3 2021, stating its plan to release new games every quarter and acquire even more developers.
metro.co.uk
2022 :
Phil Spencer says Xbox will deliver on a broken promise and 2023 will be a big year | LevelUp
Executive accepted that 2022 was a bad year; believes Xbox Games Showcase in June will deliver
www.levelup.com
2023 :
Phil Spencer admits 2022 was bad for Xbox, promises more games in 2023
Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft’s gaming division, admitted in a recent interview that 2022 wasn’t the greatest for Xbox
videogames.si.com
2024 :
Phil Spencer Promises Employees They Wont Stop Making Xbox Consoles
In the wake of swirling rumors about large changes coming to Microsoft’s Xbox business, there is already some internal damage control to be done.
www.forbes.com
'sometimes' there is even more than one promise made each year
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thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Member
Oh XBO I know a TON of Japanese games skipped that. I was more talking about Xbox Series, though. It seems to have been getting those games whereas XBO was skipped over, though now XBS is pacing way behind XBO in sales.
I'm guessing a combination of more Japanese devs porting to PC, early optimism over XBS console prospects this gen, and Microsoft going out of their way to get those ports (Game Pass deals, etc.) are the reasons why.
Wouldn't say variety has been too bad for them the past few years. Just excusing Zenimax & ABK content, you've got arcade racers, simulation racers, flight simulators, platformers, strategy games, action RPGs, 3D platformers, 2D RPGs, survival GAAS etc.
IMO the actual problem is lack of consistent quality (i.e Forza Motorsport bomba, RedFail etc.), lack of surefire big hits (Starfield failed in this respect), lack of mass market-appealing games that can be specifically associated with Xbox consoles exclusively, and lack of genuine exclusives (everything is Day 1 on PC). Those four factors have pretty much made the console completely irrelevant now, and sales are finally reflecting that.
Okay yeah, I get you there. But c'mon, those are really, really, realllly niche games. With the way Xbox's install base has been going it's pretty obvious why they haven't been getting those games.
But usually when I hear people complain about lack of Japanese support on Xbox they make it sound like it's the big games skipping them this gen when honestly, it's at most maybe the new mainline Final Fantasy games. And at this point who knows if that'll continue being the case or not. I think people like Jez Corden have really soured and exaggerated that particular conversation since they've acted like a couple of big AAA releases from a specific IP = many Japanese devs skipping Xbox this gen.
If the Xbox console brand were healthy, it'd get those smaller niche games but the devs don't think the platform's worth the effort, and Microsoft don't think they're worth paying upfront to bring to their console. Just is what it is.
Astral Dog
Member
Its been a rollercoaster for sure
Kacho
Gold Member
Didn’t even read the rest of the tldr. My point stands for my tastes.
Yoda
Member
Don Mattrick left a dumpster fire. I'd say he put out the fire, but couldn't figure out how to regain lost ground. He's also very bad with talent. None of the major creative executives have a good track record and he's slow to replace them. His acquisition strategy is also quite weak. Most of the companies he's acquiring were obviously past their prime and living on past glories. I think a good anecdote here is Microsoft's opinion of BG3 as a third rate game, but blinding assuming anything with a recognizable IP was worth more than an Avengers movie budget. I can't comment on King, but I suspect the suits at Microsoft will regret the ActivisionBlizzard purchase in 5 to 10 years once they realize Blizzard is a husk of itself and Call Of Duty simply isn't worth 10s of billions of dollars.
2014 :
New Xbox head Phil Spencer promises renewed focus on gaming across all Microsoft platforms
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the new head of its Xbox division this morning: Phil Spencer, longtime Microsoft Studios leader and Xbox game dude. In Spencer's initial letter to the legions of Xbox owners the world over, his approach comes across as scattershot. See for yourself: "This...
2015 :
Microsoft’s Phil Spencer promises ‘unique,’ potentially divisive changes for Xbox One’s future
Since becoming head of Microsoft’s Xbox division, Phil Spencer has staged a remarkable turnaround in the console’s identity—but he’s not done yet. In a wide-ranging interview with Polygon, Spencer promised big changes for the future of the system that go beyond what we’ve already seen. “This...
2016 :
Phil Spencer comforts fans and promises new games
After closing Lionhead and Press Play Xbox boss offers reassurances.www.gamereactor.eu
2017 :
Xbox Chief Phil Spencer Promises More Xbox One Exclusives in 2017
He says it will be an 'exciting year' for gamers, especially with Project Scorpio coming this holiday.
2018 :
Xbox Chief Phil Spencer Promises To Fix A Serious Problem With Windows 10
Despite having a powerful gaming PC, I play Xbox Play Anywhere games on an Xbox One because the Windows Store is a wreck. Xbox Chief Phil Spencer wants to change things.
2019 :
Xbox's Phil Spencer promises big E3 announcements to make up for PlayStation's absence
Xbox promises "new things that nobody has seen before" at its E3 2019 press briefingwww.gamesradar.com
2020 :
Xbox Head Promises ‘Deep Portfolio’ of Games at E3 2020
Xbox boss Phil Spencer is excited enough about E3 2020 that he's already building up hype on Twitter, telling fans this year is 'special.'
2021 :
Xbox promises one new first party game every quarter from now on
Microsoft has laid out its agenda for E3 2021, stating its plan to release new games every quarter and acquire even more developers.
2022 :
Phil Spencer says Xbox will deliver on a broken promise and 2023 will be a big year | LevelUp
Executive accepted that 2022 was a bad year; believes Xbox Games Showcase in June will deliver
2023 :
Phil Spencer admits 2022 was bad for Xbox, promises more games in 2023
Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft’s gaming division, admitted in a recent interview that 2022 wasn’t the greatest for Xbox
2024 :
Phil Spencer Promises Employees They Wont Stop Making Xbox Consoles
In the wake of swirling rumors about large changes coming to Microsoft’s Xbox business, there is already some internal damage control to be done.
'sometimes' there is even more than one promise made each year
Fess
Member
The Initiative is a new studio, I think it’s okay for them to take some extra time before releasing something.
But what is The Coalition doing? They released the Hivebusters DLC for Gears 5 and made a cutscene in Unreal 5. Then nothing.
And iD? Not even a teaser.
Undead Labs? State of Decay 2 was released 6 years ago. All we’ve seen from SoD3 is a prerendered concept trailer.
Rare? Everwild seemed interesting, was announced 5 years ago.
Software output has been terrible.
Bernardougf
Member
You will never see a "gamer" executive more out of touch with gaming... thats for sure.
Mr.Phoenix
Member
People keep saying that Phil saved Xbox. And then ultimately killed it.
But to me, how did he ever actually save Xbox. Dude came in, and a lower bar couldn't have been set for him to succeed after The Don. He basically came in, and reversed some obviously ridiculously poor decisions. Thats like saying whoever decided to get rid of Ken saved Playstation, when in fact, that was just correcting a mistake, the real work that saved Playstation came from Kaz.
To me, Phil came in, made some obvious course-correct decisions, released a couple of Halos, Gears and Forzas, peddled all his for the gamers nonsense.... and then went on to make decision after decision that ultimately led to the demise of the platform.
And what I find puzzling today, is that when he was making those decisions, there were a lot of people (myself included) that could see how those were bad choices, that could see exactly where those poor choices could take Xbox. But fans and the media (that are now burning him at the stake), were praising him. 10 years, over $100B later, and look at where Xbox is, in that same time, Sony has rebooted GOW, pushed new IPs like Horizon, Spiderman, Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal, Helldivers....etc (hell even days gone), and that's just talking about the IPs where they at least got some success and not even mentioning some of the old continuing ones. And what has Xbox done in that time?
Phil has been killing Xbox for 10 years. How a lot didn't see that is beyond me.
But to me, how did he ever actually save Xbox. Dude came in, and a lower bar couldn't have been set for him to succeed after The Don. He basically came in, and reversed some obviously ridiculously poor decisions. Thats like saying whoever decided to get rid of Ken saved Playstation, when in fact, that was just correcting a mistake, the real work that saved Playstation came from Kaz.
To me, Phil came in, made some obvious course-correct decisions, released a couple of Halos, Gears and Forzas, peddled all his for the gamers nonsense.... and then went on to make decision after decision that ultimately led to the demise of the platform.
And what I find puzzling today, is that when he was making those decisions, there were a lot of people (myself included) that could see how those were bad choices, that could see exactly where those poor choices could take Xbox. But fans and the media (that are now burning him at the stake), were praising him. 10 years, over $100B later, and look at where Xbox is, in that same time, Sony has rebooted GOW, pushed new IPs like Horizon, Spiderman, Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal, Helldivers....etc (hell even days gone), and that's just talking about the IPs where they at least got some success and not even mentioning some of the old continuing ones. And what has Xbox done in that time?
Phil has been killing Xbox for 10 years. How a lot didn't see that is beyond me.
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JimmyRustler
Member
King of Promises
He lost all credibility years ago.
He lost all credibility years ago.
HoodWinked
Member
Phil is like someone at the blackjack table that knows the optimal strategy but keeps getting delt 16. It will be very difficult for him to get 21 and just has to keep hoping the dealer busts.
SportsFan581
Member
A lot of great moves that I've enjoyed along with maybe some end of an era moves here at the end. The X1 debacle just seems like something they couldn't get themselves reset from, which isn't entirely on Spencer.
At any rate, Xbox players have an amazing year of releases in 2024.
Everything is always changing though, maybe Xbox will think outside the box and deliver something next that we didn't know we needed until it was available. Quick resume still the best new feature of the generation by a mile.
At any rate, Xbox players have an amazing year of releases in 2024.
Everything is always changing though, maybe Xbox will think outside the box and deliver something next that we didn't know we needed until it was available. Quick resume still the best new feature of the generation by a mile.
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U n i o n 0015
Member
How much did Spencer pay for this article?
TheTony316
Member
Support is better than what it used to be but it's still pretty bad. They still miss entire franchises and the vast majority of A-AA games.
Earth Defence Force series
Granblue series
Disgea series
YS series
Legend of Heroes series
Atelier series
Live a Live
MonHun Stories
Star Ocean 2 Remake
Final Fantasy Pixel collection
just to name a few.
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FunkMiller
Gold Member
It never ceases to baffle me how people don't understand this - both video game fans, and publishers.
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TheTony316
Member
Most japanese games/franchises are niche and make up the majority of the japanese gaming industry. Japanese AAA games are a few and far between in comparison.
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eerik9000
Member
Phil Spencer is like Elon Musk of video games. Extremely successful at convincing investors to give him money to burn. Extremely successful at bulding a cult of personality with millions of retarded followers. Says a lot of shit while not achieving anything. Always promises, never delivers.