Microsoft states that Phil Spencer, the Microsoft Gaming CEO and Xbox chief, is not planning to retire “anytime soon.” This news follows after the company faced mass layoffs yesterday, impacting Xbox studios and planned games.
Speaking to The Verge, Kari Perez, head of Xbox communications, said, “Phil is not retiring anytime soon.” Perez’s comments were needed after rumours began spreading yesterday, from Call of Duty leaker GhostOfHope made claims that Spencer would be retiring.
“Phil Spencer will be retiring from his role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming after the launch of the next generation Xbox,” the account said. GhostOfHope followed up with comments suggesting that Xbox president Sarah Bond would then be stepping in to replace Spencer as Microsoft Gaming’s CEO.
Microsoft communications chief, Frank Shaw, also commented on the rumours. On X (formerly Twitter), Shaw responded to InsiderGaming‘s Tom Henderson’s report on the matter, claiming reports had “made it up.”
Microsoft’s comments don’t rule out the eventual possibility that Spencer may step down from his role. However, based on these comments, Spencer will be maintaining his position and tenure at the company for the foreseeable future.
Spencer took over as the Xbox lead in 2014, rising from the ranks as boss of Microsoft Studios. Over the last decade, Spencer has been overseeing many major initiatives for the brand. This includes the launch of Xbox Game Pass, the Xbox Series X/S consoles, and industry-shifting acquisitions of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax Media.
Yesterday, Microsoft made another series of layoffs. Impacting upwards of 9,000 workers across the entire company, the Xbox division was also affected. The lengths of Xbox’s layoffs include Turn 10 Studios laying off more than 70 employees. Major projects such as Perfect Dark and Everwild are reported to have been cancelled as well. It’s also reported that Zenimax Online Studios has cancelled an unannounced MMORPG under the codename Blackbird.
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