Phil Spencer Takes over as Lead for Xbox

25-year Microsoft Veteran Guiding Xbox's Future

By Paolo Succi on March 31, 2014 at 10:37am

Phil Spencer will be assuming the leading role for Microsoft's Xbox division as announced today on the company's newswire.

Graduating from his position as head of Microsoft Studios, Spencer will now serve as lead for Xbox, Xbox Live, Xbox Music, and Xbox Video Teams.

Speaking to his future goals, Spencer wrote:

The growth of the Xbox community, with over 80 million Xbox owners around the world, is built on the foundation of exclusive franchises, new and original IP and the world’s most popular cross-platform games. Games and gamers have always been at the core of Xbox and the core of my work, and gaming will be our core as we take Xbox forward.

This past year has been a growth experience both for me and for the entire Xbox team. We’ve taken feedback, made our products better, and renewed our focus on what is most important, our customer. Our mission is to build a world-class team, work hard to meet the high expectations of a passionate fan base, create the best games and entertainment, and drive technical innovation. As we continue forward, this renewed focus and mission will be a foundational part of how I lead the Xbox program.

Phil has been with Microsoft for 25 years. His resume includes developing Microsoft's first CD-ROM-based titles including "Encarta," development manager for "Microsoft Money," and moved to Microsoft Studios worldwide in 2008. During his tenure with Microsoft Studios, his leadership guided titles such as "Halo," "Kinect Sports," "Fable," and "Forza Motorsport."