Time is running out. And whats really surprised us is that its transforming how our entire industry thinks about Xbox and how we can reach a wider audience. (Please note that weve edited slightly for clarity.). It also enabled the Xbox to outsell the just-released Nintendo GameCube in the years that followed, further establishing the Xbox as a force to be reckoned with in the console wars. Early adopters were treated to a multiplayer gaming experience that was entirely new to the console industry, pitting players against competitors from all around the world in a communal environment. Phil Spencer habla del posible futuro de Xbox sin Activision. 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. Spencer and his Microsoft Gaming team will certainly have a lot of work to do to ensure the culture inside Activision Blizzard is addressed. Something went wrong. A keyboard and mouse will give you better precision than your standard Xbox One controller so you can keep up in cross-platform games without shelling out money for a top gaming PC. 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. Phil Spencer is executive vice president, Gaming at Microsoft. 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. You Are the Future of Gaming. There's no shortage of games to play on either console thanks to Xbox Game Pass, which gives players immediate access to a library of titles old and new. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, wants better game preservation across the industry, per Axios. In the meantime, we know you will have a lot of questions. With Stadia, a cloud-based gaming service, becoming incredibly popular with gamers, Microsoft had to step up so they could stay in the competition. The former head of . 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 . Once the Activision Blizzard deal is completed, the company's leadership will also report directly to Spencer. 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 doesnt appear that there will be one console instead, there could be several. In an email to all Microsoft Xbox employees (opens in new tab), Phil Spencer announced that he has acquired a brand-new title and heads Microsoft's freshly unified gaming leadership. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. Game Tapes Raw: Xbox - Bill Gates/The Rock (01/06/2001), Project xCloud: Gaming with you at the center, Xboxs Earth Day controller is made from recycled water jugs and CDs, Former PS5 exclusive Ghostwire: Tokyo Comes to Xbox Game Pass in April. Phil Spencer shows that the console war is dumb. The same situation occurred with Bethesda's Deathloop, which initially launched on PS5 and PC in September 2021 and then came to Xbox Series X/S a year later. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Marc Whitten, who had served as chief product officer for Xbox, departed earlier this month for audio equipment manufacturer Sonos. He has also been a frequent guest on podcasts, radio programs, and TV spots. Before its official launch, the game will feature two test periods! [5], "Introducing Forza Motorsport 7's December Bounty Hunter: Phil Spencer - Xbox Wire", "Head Of Xbox Phil Spencer Celebrates His 55th Birthday Today", "Welcoming the Incredible Teams and Legendary Franchises of Activision Blizzard to Microsoft Gaming", "Kinect Accelerator Mentor: Phil Spencer", "Microsoft's Videogame Boss and the Long Battle to Reinvent the Company", "Welcome Phil Spencer, Microsoft's New Xbox-Everything Honcho", "E3 2012: Phil Spencer Post-Conference Interview", "E3 2013: Phil Spencer Talks Xbox One Lineup", "Satya Nadella email to employees on tuning our organization", "Microsoft Xbox boss Phil Spencer just got a big promotion, and will now report directly to CEO Satya Nadella", "The DeanBeat: Microsoft's Phil Spencer steps up as a diversity leader", "Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo get up on stage at The Game Awards", "Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion", "Read Microsoft Gaming CEO's email to staff about the Activision Blizzard acquisition", "Phil Spencer Is Exactly Who You Think He Is", "Phil Spencer to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 25th Annual DICE Awards", "New York Game Awards 2023: Elden Ring Wins Two Awards as Phil Spencer Is Honored", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phil_Spencer_(business_executive)&oldid=1148728494, This page was last edited on 7 April 2023, at 22:55. 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. Spencer, previously operating under the lengthy "Executive Vice-President of Gaming at Microsoft" title (and more commonly referred to as the "Head of Xbox") is now officially CEO, Microsoft Gaming. And of course, game development doesnt stop when the game is launched. 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. You can submit your questions now anonymously, or post them on our Team Xbox Yammer. Coming together, we can accelerate our mission to extend the joy and community of gaming to everyone. On April 18, 2002, Microsoft slashed the price of the Xbox from $299 to $199. Microsoft is now willing to spend billions on acquisitions to bolster its gaming efforts after acquiring Bethesda last year for $7.5 billion. Together with Activision Blizzard, we believe we have an incredible opportunity to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet, and we will invest and innovate to create the best content, community and cloud for gamers. And with the cloud, gaming players can participate fully in the same Xbox experience as people on local hardware. 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. Under his tenure, Microsoft has built up a stable of key franchises such as Halo, Gears of War, Fable and Forza. 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. Xboxs accessible innovations and developments have benefited disabled players for years. And this holiday it was especially gratifying to see the response from fans and read the great reviews of our new first-party titles. Now, the brand is set to reimagine itself yet again when the Xbox Series X releases this holiday season. More games are also on the way. 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. Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks. They need to consider what kinds of audio cues were used for each thing. The now-former head of Microsoft Studios will consolidate and oversee the Xbox and Xbox Live creative teams, as well as Xbox . . Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. 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. ", "It's been a remarkable year for Xbox and I am honored to lead the team". It's been a whirlwind of highs and lows for Xbox fans recently, but now it looks like we're getting some pretty good news from the head of Xbox himself!#Xbox. There's an obvious reason: Microsoft's $69 billion bid to buy the massive, but scandal-ridden Activision Blizzard Microsoft is celebrating Earth Day with a new, environmentally-friendly Xbox controller. The various flaws in these early models forced Microsoft to repair and replace countless systems, and eventually led to an extension of the consoles warranty to account for all of the issues. Quote Tweet. Phil Spencer. What I showed them was how different audio cues could work together, and how they could also run over each other if done incorrectly, Cole said. Neha Chintala notes that Coles involvement was crucial for each option within Blind Driving Assists, and his work started during the preproduction phase. In both 2009 and 2010, June proved to be an important month for the 360. 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. Microsoft aimed to incorporate a cloud gaming service with their existing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, starting September 2020. And for many players, this can be an investment that limits their ability to play. Microsoft's gaming leadership is now completely unified under Spencer, including Microsoft's gaming marketing team. 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. I didnt really understand how cars worked, Cole said. Official sources referred to the new generation as, before unveiling the Xbox Series X name. 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. Spencer: Yeah, and were actually going to hear a lot more about creators in our first group discussion coming up next. Theyre expanding that economic opportunity, too. We start solving for one specific scenario, and then think about how we can extend that [solution] to many. The legendary games and franchises across that company have delighted millions of people for decades. Later that year, production of the Xbox officially ceased, with the final tally of sold consoles sitting at around 24 million units. That is super well done, and I can use my controller, of course, on my PC. The conversation between Spencer and Nadella focused on the importance of gaming at Microsoft and in the world. Spencer: Yeah, Im so excited about the potential here. 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. Xbox chief Don Mattrick unveiled the next console the Xbox One alongside an improved version of Kinect and unprecedented support for television integration. Im really excited about the opportunity in gaming. Cloud gaming is truly a breakthrough experience. Facebook: www.Facebook.com/RyanFlemingPDX Mini Bio (1) Phil Spencer is executive vice president, Gaming at Microsoft. All Xbox One games with mouse and keyboard support, Xbox Game Pass new games: whats new and whats leaving in April 2023, The best Xbox One games to play right now. On the surface, the system looked like it had a chance to compete with the PlayStation 4, which had been announced earlier that year, but rumors swirling about the Xbox One potentially requiring an online connection and limiting the sales of used games overshadowed news of the system itself. Its so great to see how were working together as One Microsoft to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. Creating an extensive feature set for blind/low vision individuals required not only the right engines and technology, but also disabled users and consultants who could provide their lived experiences. Its about more players and more creators. Later that night, however, Sony not only confirmed there would be no online requirements or restrictions on used games with the PlayStation 4, but that it would cost just $400. Spencer:Yeah, and the complementary piece is opening up access to the games themselves. 28 Apr 2023 06:18:01 Not long after the 360 arrived on the market, the term Red Ring of Death began sending shivers down the spines of Xbox gamers. Game Pass gives gamers access to a massive library of games that includes throwback hits, brand-new titles on release day, and indie darlings. Phil Spencer shows that the console war is dumb. 03:23 - Source: CNN. Aside from the benefits proffered by the unification of all gaming leadership and corresponding teams, it also goes hand-in-hand with the Activision Blizzard deal to signify just how seriously Microsoft takes its gaming ventures. Nadella: Thats right. His lived experiences as a disabled individual afford him the opportunity to provide insight that is not only beneficial for developers, but also the blind/low vision community itself. He worked on products such as Encarta and Microsoft Money before taking the position of Microsoft Studios' worldwide general manager in 2008 and being promoted to corporate vice president the following year. Please join if you can. The troubled company has been struggling to address concerns from employees over a myriad of sexual misconduct allegations. And with Forza Motorsports Blind Driving Assists, Turn 10 Studios wants to change that expectation. The newest entry in the Forza Motorsport series (simply called Forza Motorsport) has already been revealed to include numerous accessibility options commonly found in most modern games like control remapping, subtitles, and varying colorblind modes and filters. Once the acquisition is completed, the Activision Blizzard business will report to me. In a sign of how gaming has changed at Microsoft under Spencer, he quickly moved into Microsofts senior leadership team in 2017, reporting directly to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella as the corporate vice president of gaming. The blind, by majority, have never driven a car.. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. "It's been a remarkable year for Xbox and I am honored to lead the team at this incredible time for Microsoft and the games industry.". Phil Spencer is the new boss of all things Xbox, Microsoft confirms . In May 2013, Microsoft finally unveiled what was next for the Xbox brand, and it didnt leave players particularly happy. Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. Its a big promotion for Spencer, described as the Xboss by Xbox fans. Arguably the most important event in the evolution of the Xbox and the growth of Microsofts place in the gaming industry occurred on the consoles first birthday with the launch of Xbox Live. Despite Microsoft owning Bethesda at the time, preexisting agreements were honored and the game remained a timed console exclusive on PS5. But the mechanical understandings of when to turn, when to accelerate or decelerate, or the overall feel of driving a vehicle are inherently inaccessible. Niantic, for example, showed a great demo Pokmon Go using Mesh at our recent event. And theres no better example of this than gaming. No word yet on who will replace him. There's something about Spencer that makes him instantly approachable; combined with his 27 years at Microsoft itself, that makes him the obvious choice to lead the company's gaming wing. Spencer has spoken years before about the art of gaming, and how backward compatibility is a huge . The notion that Microsoft should develop its own gaming console began gaining traction way back in 1998, with Kevin Bachus, Seamus Blackley, Otto Berkes, and Ted Hase forming the software giants first console team after successfully pitching their idea to Bill Gates. Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. Microsofts $30 million purchase of Bungie a short time later made headlines in the game industry, but it was Bungies decision to adaptHaloto make the best use of the new consoles abilities and turn it into a first-person shooter. You get a lot of cues from the games audio already like what surface youre driving on, what your cars RPM is, how fast youre going with the wind flying by you, and what we wanted to do was make sure the sounds that we were using to provide this extra information that the blind player needed to get around the track wouldnt conflict with those sounds.. 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. Because Microsoft is becoming so flexible and actively working to keep their customers, theyll likely push the Xbox back to the top of the gaming console list. 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. For Turn 10 Studios, this meant conducting numerous user research surveys, as well as bringing on Brandon Cole, a blind consultant with credits on games like The Last of Us Part 2, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Vale: Shadow of the Crown. When it comes to first-party exclusives, the Series X is still growing. We want to make it easier for people to connect and play great games wherever, whenever and however they want. Please enter a valid email and try again. 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 . [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. I thought that its a racing game, so shouldnt you go as fast as possible all the time? Heres the thing when I think about it. Related: Fortnite Is Taking Over Twitch (And The World) Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced the company's intentions to sit out the popular Battle Royale wave in response to an inquiry via Twitter.When asked if Microsoft had any plans to focus on a Battle Royale game as a first-party title for the Xbox One, Spencer very clearly denied any plans to do so. A free update called The Spider's Thread will release on the same day for all platforms, including Xbox Series X/S, PC and PlayStation 5. You see that in all sorts of platforms, and there are growing communities who want to discover, explore, and build on others creations. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Phil Spencer is taking over as the head of Microsoft's Xbox branch, the company announced today. As part of Microsoft's plan to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, the software giant has created a Microsoft Gaming division. Of course, theres still a place for consoles and PCs and frankly, there always will be, but through the cloud, we will be able to deliver a robust gaming experience to anyone connected to the Internet, even on the least powerful, least expensive devices, devices people already own. As a company, Microsofts all-in on gaming. 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. newsletter, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is already $10 off, I would die to protect Turgle in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Legos largest and most detailed X-Wing has landed for $239.99, Mortal Kombat 12 teaser appears to blow up the timeline, Amazon Primes freebies for May include Resident Evil 2 remake, Where to buy the Pokmon Go Plus Plus device. And that just grows the industry for everyone.. We also announced this morning that we have surpassed 25 million Game Pass subscribers across console, cloud and PC, a great achievement for all of Team Xbox. Microsoft also intends to leverage Activision Blizzard in its efforts to develop new metaverse platforms, a business venture that many companies are beginning to invest in heavily. Xbox boss Phil Spencer is celebrating an anniversary with Xbox. 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. Effective today, Phil Spencer will become CEO, Microsoft Gaming. Update, January 18th 10:50AM ET: Article updated with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadellas memo to staff. 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. Per tradition, Microsoft had its presentation before Sony, and revealed a $500 price for its console, with Kinect bundled with every system. Regardless of the preferred platform, the creation of Blind Driving Assists is indicative of the growth of blind/low vision accessibility. As part of Microsofts plan to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, the software giant has created a Microsoft Gaming division. Once the Activision Blizzard deal is finally completed, the company's leadership will also report directly to Spencer moving forward. Given the four years between the release of the first Xbox and the arrival of its successor, its no surprise that after six years rumors began circulating in March 2011 that the 360 was on its way out and Microsoft was already hard at work on its next console. 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. The best gaming experience was still on a console or PC, Mr Spencer told BBC . Lets wrap up by talking about creators, which I know is a huge priority for you and the entire company. The Xbox Series X impressed us with its zippy load times and gorgeous 4K graphics, and the entry-level $299 Xbox Series S. Popular game developer Electronic Arts took issue with the subscription-based structure of Xbox Live and opted out of releasing their popular Madden football games for the Xbox in 2003, only to cut a deal with Microsoft a year later. . We deeply value individual studio cultures. Microsoft announced a new generation during E3 2019. Microsoft has announced Phil Spencer is the new Head of Xbox, taking over from the recently departed Marc Whitten, who served as Xbox corporate VP. Please also refresh on our corporate social media guidelines. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary. In this role, Spencer is accountable for leading Microsoft's gaming business across all devices and services. In fact, one of the things we have learned from all of the work you all have done is in some sense, it starts after the game is launched because you want to be able to experiment, learn through analytics and continuously change gameplay. They can no longer afford to ignore customer demand to diversify their options. Along with being able to connect with friends (and strangers), Xbox Live also made it possible to download new content and take multiplayer interaction to a new level. Speaking with IGN, 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 Xboxs desire to create an inclusive and accessible industry. i wonder if the whole 'bringing xbox back' scheme from phil and the whole 'putting gamers first' and the 'this is the year for xbox' shite was just all smoke and mirrors.