At Summer Game Fest, Microsoft kick-started the last day with an Xbox Games Showcase highlighting games destined for the Xbox Series X|S, either in 2021 or 2022. After the event, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer spoke briefly about the hurdles of managing a successful business while living up to Microsoft’s standards for the gaming division.
During his interview on the official Xbox podcast, Spencer emphasized that our role within the company is to maintain a thriving and prosperous business. He explained that we are responsible to Microsoft for ensuring this success, which in turn enables us to keep funding the Xbox platform for our player and creator community. This requires us to make choices throughout the year about where we will focus our investments more heavily, and where we may allocate fewer resources, given our specific business nature. However, he added that the business is currently experiencing significant growth.
Spencer commended Xbox’s Game Pass for having an outstanding year in 2025 and applauded the quality of Xbox’s exclusive games. It’s notable that Spencer has previously talked about maintaining a profitable business model to justify studio closures, such as Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks. Unfortunately, not all studios have been as fortunate, leading to job losses for many developers. Krafton, however, managed to successfully revive Tango Gameworks after acquiring it.
Further clarification is that Spencer consistently stated the move to offer Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, along with other Xbox exclusives, on PlayStation was primarily a business strategy. This decision turned out to be advantageous for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and Forza Horizon 5, as both games ranked number one on the PlayStation Network (PSN) charts in April.
During his podcast interview, Spencer expressed that witnessing Keeper unite for the Xbox Games Showcase sparked a renewal of his affection for Double Fine Productions. This led him to re-explore some of the studio’s past titles, The Cave and Iron Brigade. He then emphasized his anticipation for players to play it themselves later in the year.
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2025-06-11 15:09