Spencer originally took over as the head of Microsofts Xbox division in 2014, reporting to former Windows chief Terry Myerson. And one of the things Im most excited about is how we are enabling game developers to do just that with AzurePlayFab, which now holds more than 2.5 billion player accounts. A few weeks ago, Xbox Chief Product Officer Marc Whitten said he was leaving Microsoft (after helming the division for some 14 years) for a similar position with Sonos. Head of Xbox: Phil Spencer's History at Xbox - YouTube Larry Hryb, Xbox Live's Major Nelson, chats with Phil about his history at Microsoft and what led him to his new role as. Check out Spencer's words below. And whats really surprised us is that its transforming how our entire industry thinks about Xbox and how we can reach a wider audience. [6][8] He has participated in Microsoft's E3 conferences since 2010. . With the xCloud preview, you get 50 games. Further, it needed to account for the individualistic nature of disabilities. Phil Spencer. It is being marketed as the worlds most powerful console, with speculation that it could end up being even more powerful than Sonys PlayStation 5. A lot has changed with the brand since then, bringing more power, more exclusives, and more value to consumers around the world. 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Why it matters: As head of Xbox since 2014, Spencer is already one of the most influential and powerful people in gaming, but he finds himself at a pivotal point both in his career and in the industry at large. It also meant the writing was on the wall for the original Xbox. @XboxWire. You see that in all sorts of platforms, and there are growing communities who want to discover, explore, and build on others creations. The 2018 release of the Xbox Adaptive Controller, feature tags on store pages, award-winning accessibility in titles like Forza Horizon 5, and even an annual showcase highlighting the varying ways in which Xbox and its studios are incorporating accessibility into their projects have put the disabled community at the forefront of Xbox conversations. Congrats to the team on 10 years and thanks to all the creators and players who've supported. Concerns regarding the systems look and design, as well as the $299 price tag, fell by the wayside with over 1 million Xbox consoles flying off shelves in the next three weeks. Just two years later, Microsoft was ready to go public with its console, and thats exactly what Bill Gates did at theGame Developers Conference in 2000. Even with the next-generation rumors, sales of the 360 continued to assert Microsofts powerful position in the console gaming industry, and by September 2012 the company announced that it had hit the 70-million mark in units sold, and by December that number had jumped to 75 million. Xbox boss Phil Spencer is celebrating an anniversary with Xbox. Teasing the systems vastly improved specs and the potential for both online play and internal storage of downloaded content games and media Gates managed to get the worlds attention. Additional Crew: Conker: Live and Reloaded. Despite renewed enthusiasm in the Xbox brand following the decision to remove consumer-unfriendly features, the Xbox One has found itself in a nearly constant struggle to match the sales of the PlayStation 4. Update, January 18th 10:50AM ET: Article updated with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadellas memo to staff. In particular, the Activision Blizzard deal means a lot for Xbox as a whole. Phil Spencer, former head of Xbox, will now lead this . Im looking forward to how we continue to invest in Game Pass to add more content and bring the service to even more geographies as we make progress. Spencer joined Microsoft in 1988 as an intern and has worked in a number of technical roles, leading the development of Microsoft's first CD-ROM-based titles (such as Encarta), development manager for Microsoft Money, and general manager of Microsoft's online and offline consumer productivity products including Microsoft Works and Microsoft Picture It! It would allow players to enter the new ecosystem more quickly, and Microsofts own Xbox console exclusives will also be compatible with Xbox One systems for at least a year after the Series X launches. Today, its the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment, and as the digital and physical worlds come together, it will play a critical role in the development of metaverse platforms. It might not seem like much by todays standards, but hitting the million-units mark back then was unheard of. The release of the Xbox 360 in the U.S. on November 22, 2005, and in Europe and Japan the following month, resulted in sellouts in nearly every market except Japan, where the system still struggled to find an audience. The troubled company has been struggling to address concerns from employees over a myriad of sexual misconduct allegations. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer makes his long-awaited return to Unlocked for an exclusive one-hour interview. Spencer has spent 25 years at Microsoft. It exemplifies, at least for me, what uniquely we can do by bringing together the power of all of Microsoft tech stack, right, from Azure AI to Bing maps, and even spatial computing, which came together to create essentially literally a digital twin of the entire planet. This is going to be fun.. Ghostwire: Tokyo was first released on PS5 and PC on March 25, 2022. Phil Spencer shows that the console war is dumb. Facebook: www.Facebook.com/RyanFlemingPDX We deeply value individual studio cultures. The Gaming Leadership Team and I look forward to answering as many as we can at our next Monthly Gaming Update on Jan. 26. Im really excited about the opportunity in gaming. Esta es la informacin. That built-in catalog is an extra value on top of all the new games available on the system that take advantage of its impressive technical specs. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. . Were looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. [18], Since taking over both Xbox and the Gaming division, Spencer has advocated for cross-platform play, as well as launched key initiatives, such as reintroducing backward compatibility to the Xbox platform, the purchase of Mojang and Bethesda, the further development and support of Minecraft, the introduction of Xbox Game Pass, launching the Xbox Adaptive Controller, an increased focus on PC gaming, porting some Microsoft published games to other platforms including the Nintendo Switch, the launch of xCloud, and increasing the number of first-party development studios. Microsoft announced that they have more than 100 titles ready to add once xCloud is officially made public. . Ahead of the first-ever Xbox & Bethesda Showcase on Sunday, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer hosted a series of conversations with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, and members of Microsoft's Gaming Leadership team on the future of gaming at Microsoft.We've shared some highlights from the day in another article, but we also wanted to share one of the day's biggest moments on its own. The now-former head of Microsoft Studios will consolidate and oversee the Xbox and Xbox Live creative teams, as well as Xbox Music, Xbox Video, and Microsoft Studios. And thats where Game Pass comes in. [5][6] During his early time at Microsoft he was known by other employees to be an avid gamer, playing games such as Ultima Online in the office. Mercenaries mode is a special mode in Resident Evil 4 Remake that challenges players to survive and score as many points as they can against waves of enemies, with all sorts of ways to extend time, gain score multipliers, and more. By Jesse Lennox May 1, 2023 3:45AM. Where the vehicle is, when and how to turn, and even how much cars should decelerate are just some examples of information that blind/low vision individuals can receive via audio cue with these features activated. They can no longer afford to ignore customer demand to diversify their options. The head of Xbox and executive vice president of gaming at Microsoft, Spencer says popular games like . Ryan is a diehard gamer and follower of the gaming industry, an avid filmgoer, and a passionate supporter of his alma mater, the University of Kansas. The high cost of manufacturing the Xbox didnt do its creator any favors, making the next big event in the systems timeline even more surprising. The xCloud initiative and new Game Pass cloud gaming feature are those efforts to compete with services like Stadia directly. Gamereactor UK. Shortly after Mattrick's departure, Microsoft announced a major reorganization under which Julie Larson-Green became the head of the Xbox hardware and studios groups, while Myerson was given leadership of development on the Xbox One OS. In this Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom trailer breakdown, Logan Plant highlights Link's four new powers, along with bringing some speculation surrounding some hidden bits tucked away in the gameplay. The legendary games and franchises across that company have delighted millions of people for decades. Weve shared some highlights from the day in another article, but we also wanted to share one of the days biggest moments on its own. In todays world, companies are continually being pushed to modify and expand their products and services; Microsoft has chosen to appease their loyal customers in an effort to keep them around. Phil Spencer, as CEO of Microsoft Gaming, plays an integral role in executing these visions and continuing to develop the best Xbox games, fostering a culture of inclusivity and accessibility, and bringing gaming to more people in general. CEO Satya Nadella stated that the company internally referred to the xCloud endeavor as Netflix for games. With the xCloud preview, you get 50 games. One year after the Kinect was announced, Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 would be getting a major redesign, with a thinner body, upgraded internal specs, additional USB ports, and built-in Wi-Fi. This Xbox Series S deal gets you an extra wireless controller for free, All cross-platform games (PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC), You cant share Xbox screenshots or videos directly to Twitter anymore, The best upcoming Xbox Series X games: 2023 and beyond, Dont fall for this fake Xbox controller deal buy this instead, 7 excellent game deals you cant miss during Steams Xbox publisher sale, This Thrustmaster racing wheel and pedals set for Xbox is $60 off. After experimenting with the Project xCloud initiative, Microsoft recently announced that players would be able to access a cloud gaming service. Microsoft's gaming leadership is now completely unified under Spencer, including Microsoft's gaming marketing team. Theyre expanding that economic opportunity, too. Many still remained skeptical of what they saw, seeing nothing more than a fancy PC dressed up as a gaming console. I didnt really understand how cars worked, Cole said. For the first couple of decades, the only way you can play the game was to buy the game outright. In addition to video games, Gabe has also covered television, film, and music, and he has done everything from news to reviews and video work. Nadella: Thanks so much, Phil. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, wants better game preservation across the industry, per Axios. One key component to the consoles success was the popularity of its flagship game, Halo, which offered the one-two punch of being both exclusive to the Xbox and one of the first-person shooter genres most compelling, groundbreaking titles to hit shelves in years. Quote Tweet. The cloud will allow us to completely remove these barriers to play worldwide. The acquisition has considerable ramifications for Xbox and the gaming industry as a whole, but it also heralds a shift internally for Microsoft. wholeheartedly think that if this year doesn't go well exclusive wise, the xbox brand as a whole will be more of an embarrassment than ever before, probably irreparably so. Nadella describes gaming as playing a critical role in the development of metaverse platforms, that the company is looking to develop for Xbox, Microsoft Teams, and beyond. Activision Blizzard wont be a particularly easy acquisition for Microsoft, though. I love that I can go from my PC to my Xbox to my Duo, picking up on any game right where I left off and even using the touch controls on Duo. You can also access most of these through the Game Pass cloud computing program. Microsoft Head of Xbox Phil Spencer talks about how the Xbox One launch almost killed the Xbox brand. In this link you can check how to participate in . Nadella: Thats right. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has been very outspoken about the release of the Xbox Series X/S, and has made many comparisons to Sony's PlayStation 5.Now, a week before Microsoft's new consoles . When you step back and look at the next decade and the evolution of technology, I think one of the most defining trends will be how the balance between consumption and creation is achieved and the changes it brings about. Please join if you can. Turn 10 Studios developers, an accessibility consultant, and Xbox head Phil Spencer discuss the development process behind Blind Driving Assists, the importance of community involvement, and Xbox . 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Just after E3, Mattrick revealed that it would change course regarding online connection requirements and used games, instead having them work as they did on the Xbox 360. It also introduced Xbox Game Pass, a program that gives subscribers unlimited access to a vault of older Xbox games, as well as day-one access to the latest releases. There have been reports of a second, significantly less-powerful machine that will omit a disc drive and be offered at a reduced price. NY 10036. it's moving to acquire Activision Blizzard, Activision Blizzard deal means a lot for Xbox as a whole, Microsoft begins adding Activision Blizzard games to the service, Activision Blizzard in its efforts to develop new metaverse platforms, New Xbox home page shows a simple layout for gorgeous backgrounds, Apex Legends: Arsenal introduces big changes for World's Edge and a new Firing Range, Dell XPS Desktop (8960) review: A monster powerhouse with a minimalist design, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Lightsaber stances explained, Brave Search makes its final split from Bing but keeps Google fallback, Mags delivered straight to your door or device. Spencer:Yeah, and the complementary piece is opening up access to the games themselves. However, it comes with some extras that might make that price tag sound more reasonable. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, We are full speed ahead in our mission to bring players more ways to play their favorite games. At the Wall Street Journal's Tech Live conference Wednesday (and cataloged by our sister site, The Verge ), head of Xbox Phil Spencer revealed that Microsoft may eventually raise the prices. And now, blind/low vision players can experience a brand-new feature set called Blind Driving Assists a series of audio cues that provide track and vehicle information allowing blind/low vision players to complete races. In 2002, he joined Microsoft Game Studios as a Studio Manager, then in 2009 he took over as head of Microsoft Studios. Phil Spencer: Im thrilled to be joined by Satya Nadella to talk about how Microsoft broadly can drive gaming forward. Cloud gaming is truly a breakthrough experience. No word yet on who will replace him. Xbox head Phil Spencer recently got promoted to Microsoft's executive leadership team, in a big show of confidence for gaming. It aids blind/low vision players when making turns on tracks, regardless of vehicle, allowing them to stay on course in addition to listening for audio cues. You had to go to the arcade. At E3 2018, Phil Spencer confirmed that he had teams working on creating the next generation of Xbox systems, but unlike in the past, it doesn't appear that there will be one console . These games can be played on Xbox consoles, PC, mobile, and even Steam Deck. By submitting your email, you agree to our, Phil Spencer takes over as head of Microsoft's Xboxdivision, Sign up for the [14], In 2018, Spencer delivered the keynote address at the 2018 DICE Summit[15] and spoke at the 2018 Game Awards. Its being used as the backend for more than 5,000 games, so a lot of exciting things that the cloud can enable. Blind/low vision accessibility is still relatively sparse in video games compared to other accessibility options and design practices. I ditched my game consoles and went cloud-only for a week. Despite Microsoft owning Bethesda at the time, preexisting agreements were honored and the game remained a timed console exclusive on PS5. And that cost and those requirements have always severely limited who can play, where they can play and who they can play with. Simultaneously, all of Microsoft's gaming leadership now report directly to Spencer, including Jerret West, CMO of Gaming, and his marketing team. Xbox is a significant section of Microsoft, and it'll only continue to grow as time goes on. To get a deeper dive, I spoke to Cole as well as Turn 10 Studios' gameplay & accessibility producer Neha Chintala and head of Xbox Phil Spencer about bringing these features to life and why . A lot of them are available on Xbox Game Passas well, so you can try out the best games on the system without shelling out $60 left and right. Following the announcement, Phil Spencer revealed that he is now named CEO, Microsoft Gaming. Gamereactor uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best browsing experience on our website. However, Spencer acknowledges that studios need to continue learning for this to happen. You Are the Future of Gaming. Following Mattricks departure, the role was briefly filled by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, but soon after the company announced a major restructuring that split the Xbox division. I believe we will need that virtuous cycle between content consumption, commerce driven by communities for everything we build. Ive been in many cars, but Ive never been behind the wheel of one. Cole is sightless, born with Retinoblastoma, causing him to go blind within two months. Creators pushing us to improve, asking "what if" questions, players finding new innovative games from amazing teams etc. With Game Pass coming to the browser, the value of the subscription is going to transcend from the console to the PC to mobile, and its great to see the progress. I mean, for me, you just go to Xbox.com/play, and Ill tell you, its a really fast, easy way to get into gaming. We deeply value individual studio cultures. That cost, the retail model have limited the audience for creators and the entire industry. Niantic, for example, showed a great demo Pokmon Go using Mesh at our recent event. When the acquisition closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil. Eagle-eyed fans. All Rights Reserved, By submitting your email, you agree to our. Aside from the general nature of driving, racing sims like Forza Motorsport add complexity like vehicle, weather, and even environmental physics depending on the car and terrain that players drive on. You also see the power of the cloud when you look at the evolution of some of our first-party games, like Flight Simulator. With Stadia, a cloud-based gaming service, becoming incredibly popular with gamers, Microsoft had to step up so they could stay in the competition. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. If you feel you dont need this giant suite of features that we made, you can turn them off, you can turn some of the audio cues down, or modify every volume individually. Heres how it works. Initially known by its internal development name Scarlett, Microsoft officially unveiled the. Spencer, who most recently served as the chief of Microsoft Studios, will now lead that. Spencer: Yeah, Im so excited about the potential here. For sighted individuals, this information is learned over time by trying different cars or courses. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. His official title is Head of Xbox. The last game produced for the Xbox in North America, Madden 09, was released in August 2008, and support for the system was discontinued in March 2009. The conversation between Spencer and Nadella focused on the importance of gaming at Microsoft and in the world. acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, head of Microsofts Xbox division in 2014, acquiring Bethesda last year for $7.5 billion, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard: the latest news on the acquisition, Microsoft details how it could get Call of Duty: Warzone running on Switch, Microsofts Activision acquisition in peril after UK regulator warns of harm to gamers, FTC wont appeal court decision permitting Meta to buy Within, The EU has reportedly issued a formal warning to Microsoft over the Activision Blizzard deal. Yet, he encourages blind/low vision individuals to listen to others in the community and trust these settings. A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon. Spencers new role officially, Head of Xbox sees him reporting directly to Myerson, who oversees the development teams on Microsofts operating systems (including Windows and Window Phone, in addition to Xbox). Alongside audio indicators, Helsley explains that another feature within Blind Driving Assists, the steering guide, took several years of fine-tuning before it was in an entertaining and usable state. You can change the pitch of the audio cues, and the narrator customizations that we have are the best in any game that Ive seen.. The head of Xbox has no immediate plans to leave the company, but he is. Under his tenure, Microsoft has built up a stable of key franchises such as Halo, Gears of War, Fable and Forza. The updated Xbox One S shrank the system considerably, adding in HDR support and a 4K Blu-ray player, while the Xbox One X was the most powerful console in the world at the time of release. LARRY HRYB: Because, Rebecca, I don't know if you know this, you've had a chance to play it, but nighttime is kind of dread time. I will be hosting a webcast with investors at 6 a.m. PT with Phil and Amy, as well as Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, to share more details on our big ambitions for gaming. The console represents a sizeable boost in power from Xbox One X, with 6DDR6 RAM, 12 TFLOPS of GPU power, an NVMe SSD, and support for 8K resolution. Inclusive design is an important consideration in how we build everything now, starting with recognizing the barriers that people might have, learning from the diversity of experience that people have, Spencer said. Now he wants to reinvent gaming. Ahead of the first-ever Xbox & Bethesda Showcase on Sunday, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer hosted a series of conversations with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, and members of Microsofts Gaming Leadership team on the future of gaming at Microsoft. Phil Spencer is executive vice president, Gaming at Microsoft. Spencer and his Microsoft Gaming team will certainly have a lot of work to do to ensure the culture inside Activision Blizzard is addressed. If you've already upgraded to the Xbox Series X, don't worry: The vast majority of Xbox One games work on the Series X and Series S with Microsoft's Smart Delivery program. Spencer is also currently the head of the Xbox brand and since being in charge, Phil has pushed for cross-platform play and pioneered backwards compatibility within the Xbox line of consoles. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Email (Opens in new window), Microsoft Major Nelson Promotions Official Rules, Will Tuttle (He/Him), Xbox Wire Editor in Chief, Bringing the Joy and Community of Gaming to Everyone, E3 2018: Gaming for Everyone, a Conversation with Phil Spencer. Earlier this year, we announced that our Game Pass subscription had passed 18 million members. In many ways, when we look at these opportunities, we start solving for one specific scenario, or even personal situations, and then think about how we can extend that [solution] to many.. Mini Bio (1) Phil Spencer is executive vice president, Gaming at Microsoft. We believe we can play a leading role in democratizing gaming and defining that future of interactive entertainment, quite frankly, at scale. While the Xbox fanbase continued to grow with the addition of Xbox Live, it wasnt all sunshine and sales in the years to follow. Among the various hardware and software issues that plagued early models of the 360, one particularly nasty problem caused the entire system to encounter a fatal error and give owners a red ring of light around the consoles power button. [8][13], In September 2017, Spencer was promoted to the Senior Leadership Team, gaining the title of Executive Vice President of Gaming and reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella. The company must continue to expand its manufacturing to include various systems customers can choose from according to their individual needs. Jerret will continue to be a member of Chris leadership team and leverage critical parts of Microsofts marketing muscle including Communications, Media, and Consumer Sales. We're looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.". It is being marketed as the worlds most powerful console, with speculation that it could end up being even more powerful than Sonys PlayStation 5. This was the move that helped make history. The now-former head of Microsoft Studios will consolidate and oversee the Xbox and Xbox Live creative teams, as well as Xbox . You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary. Digital Trends Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites. Xbox Game Pass now boasts of over 25 million subscribers, a number that will likely only continue to rise as Microsoft begins adding Activision Blizzard games to the service. As CEO, Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer is in charge of everything gaming and Xbox at Microsoft. Once the Activision Blizzard deal is finally completed, the company's leadership will also report directly to Spencer moving forward. Blind/low vision individuals use transportation every day. Given the ray-tracing capabilities of the PS5 and its own support for 8K resolution, that would be quite a feat. Phil Spencer, former head of Xbox, will now lead this team as it focuses on gaming across Xbox, PC, mobile, and the cloud. Gaming has been key to Microsoft from our earliest of days. Thats why Im so excited that so many games are evolving into these metaverse economies and societies, just like Minecraft, right? To start, Id like to thank everyone for all of the hard work and dedication that have built this business and this community. Its about more players and more creators. Phil will continue his close partnership with Yusuf Mehdi, who leads business strategy and marketing for Xbox, George Peckham, who heads up third-party partnerships and Mike Angiulo, who will continue leading Xbox hardware. New York, Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. [4] He is currently the head of the Xbox brand and leads the global creative and engineering teams responsible for gaming at Microsoft. In both 2009 and 2010, June proved to be an important month for the 360. I had to learn to slow down when going into a turn. In the meantime, we know you will have a lot of questions. The Xbox Wireless Controller Remix Special Edition will launch on April 18, just a few days ahead of Earth Day on April 22.
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