Xbox CEO Phil Spencer Reflects on Past Mistakes and Future Plans
In a candid interview at PAX West 2024, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer discussed past decisions, admitting some were among the "worst" in his career. He revealed missed opportunities with major franchises like Bungie's Destiny and Harmonix's Guitar Hero.
Spencer, who joined Xbox when Bungie was under Microsoft's umbrella, shared his initial hesitation regarding Destiny, only appreciating its potential after the House of Wolves expansion. Similarly, he expressed initial skepticism about Guitar Hero's success.
Despite these setbacks, Spencer emphasized his forward-looking approach, focusing on current and future projects. One such project is Dune: Awakening, an action RPG adaptation of the iconic Dune franchise.
Dune: Awakening's Xbox release, however, presents challenges. Funcom's chief product officer, Scott Junior, acknowledged the difficulties of optimizing the game for Xbox Series S, leading to a PC-first release strategy. Despite this, Junior confirmed that the game will perform well even on older hardware.
Meanwhile, the indie title Entoria: The Last Song experienced delays on Xbox due to a lack of communication and response from Microsoft regarding store page access and game submission. Jyamma Games CEO Jacky Greco expressed frustration over the situation, highlighting the significant investment made in porting the game to Xbox. The game will launch on PlayStation 5 and PC, with the Xbox release currently uncertain.
