While the dramatic reduction in price made it nearly impossible for the company to earn any profit whatsoever from sales of the system, the move succeeded in encouraging more households to bring home an Xbox. 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. We couldnt do that if we werent part of Microsoft. 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. 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. Nadella: Yeah, absolutely. When it comes to first-party exclusives, the Series X is still growing. The legendary games and franchises across that company have delighted millions of people for decades. 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. Phil Spencer named Microsoft Gaming CEO following Activision Blizzard 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. Phil Spencer Is Thinking About Who Will Lead Xbox Next [7], With the launch of the Xbox in 2001, Spencer joined the Xbox team and served as general manager of Microsoft Game Studios EMEA, working with Microsoft's European developers and studios such as Lionhead Studios and Rare until 2008, when he became the general manager of Microsoft Studios, eventually becoming the studio's corporate vice president a year later. Head of Xbox: Phil Spencer's History at Xbox - YouTube 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. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary. These games can be played on Xbox consoles, PC, mobile, and even Steam Deck. But in the rush to get the 360 into households, some serious problems with the system got a pass. Happy Birthday to Head of Xbox Phil Spencer! : r/XboxSeriesX - Reddit If you buy something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. Scripps School of Journalism in 2016. 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. But its cool to see how the industry learns and is inspired by each step, whether its the Adaptive Controller, or the work that The Last of Us has done, whether its individual game teams that are going out to spotlight, and frankly, build empathy for people who have a different lived experience. Spencer, who most recently served as the chief of Microsoft Studios, will now lead that division as well as the entire Xbox business, including Xbox Live, Xbox Music and Xbox Video. Phil Spencer on the Meeting That Almost Ended the Xbox Division at Microsoft. Additional Crew: Conker: Live and Reloaded. The Xbox Series X impressed us with its zippy load times and gorgeous 4K graphics, and the entry-level $299 Xbox Series S. Games like The Last of Us Part 1s 2022 remake and The Last of Us Part 2, every NetherRealm Studios title since 2013, and The Vale: Shadow of the Crown are examples of games that are accessible to blind/low vision individuals within a vast industry of iconic series and genres. Xbox boss Phil Spencer is celebrating an anniversary with Xbox. Heres the thing when I think about it. 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. Phil Spencer on Twitter: "We are full speed ahead in our mission to 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. Microsoft's gaming leadership is uniting under Phil Spencer's guidance. Spencer originally took over as the head of Microsofts Xbox division in 2014, reporting to former Windows chief Terry Myerson. XBL: Iridium Six You can also access most of these through the Game Pass cloud computing program. Mini Bio (1) Phil Spencer is executive vice president, Gaming at Microsoft. 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. With his team and game development partners, Spencer continues to push the boundaries of creativity, technical innovation and fun across gaming genres . In 2022, Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox and CEO of Microsoft's gaming division, made clear the company's intention to place Activision Blizzard's franchises in the Xbox Game Pass catalog. Quote Tweet. 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 head of Xbox has no immediate plans to leave the company, but he is. Ive been in many cars, but Ive never been behind the wheel of one. It was nowhere near the sales totals of the PS2, which went on to sell over 153 million units, but the Xbox did outsell both Nintendos GameCube (which sold 21. million), and Segas Dreamcast (which sold just 10.6 million). 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. Gamereactor UK. Initially known by its internal development name Scarlett, Microsoft officially unveiled the. I think thats fundamental to the progress that we need to make, and I think we have years and years of progress to make in this area.. It wil retail for $85, which is significantly more than a standard Xbox controller. 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. What we wanted to do is build something that fit into the oral landscape of the game already, Helsley said. New York, When I was a kid, it was crazy to think about having a Galaga machine or a Ms. Pac-man machine in your house. It will take many years before streaming video games becomes mainstream, the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has said. like, xbox one launch level embarrassment. A lot has changed with the brand since then, bringing more power, more exclusives, and more value to consumers around the world. 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. 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. It might not seem like much by todays standards, but hitting the million-units mark back then was unheard of. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering local news, travel features, and politics. [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. [4] He is currently the head of the Xbox brand and leads the global creative and engineering teams responsible for gaming at Microsoft. Per tradition, Microsoft had its presentation before Sony, and revealed a $500 price for its console, with Kinect bundled with every system. Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox since 2014, is known to players as the guy who. This news was followed a month later by the debut of Xbox Music and Xbox Video, Microsofts new media services that not only replaced the existing services on the Xbox but also offered an attractive, Apple-style integration across all devices running Windows software. In his time as boss of that division, he oversaw the development of several exclusive franchises like Forza Motorsport, Halo, and the lineup of Xbox One exclusive launch titles that includedDead Rising 3 and Ryse: Son of Rome. Were looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard. First is our leadership in cloud computing; second, the resources we have to build out the subscription value with Xbox Game Pass; and third is our overall focus on empowering creators. Mar 21. 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. 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. With plans to release the 360 in November, the company clearly hoped that an early debut almost a full year before the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii were scheduled to arrive would put the 360 in a good position to dominate the market. 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. 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. Y'all keep saying that but it's been 4 long years since 2018, and we've barely heard a peep from most of the new studios. 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. Gaming has been key to Microsoft since our earliest days as a company. [21], Spencer attended Ridgefield High School in Ridgefield, Washington, and then earned a bachelor's degree in technical and scientific communication from the University of Washington. And because studios continuously learn from each other, these initiatives have the potential to shape how developers approach designs and features for blind/low vision players. 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. Xbox head says says consoles or services could see a price - Polygon Microsoft is now willing to spend billions on acquisitions to bolster its gaming efforts after acquiring Bethesda last year for $7.5 billion. [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. 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. Once the acquisition is completed, the Activision Blizzard business will report to me. The thing that I want to stress here is that we offer a ton of customization, Cole said.
