Xbox's Phil Spencer Hits Game Plan

As Xbox navigates the evolving gaming industry, CEO Phil Spencer discusses overlooked opportunities and what he calls the "worst decisions" in the company's history. Learn more about his reflections and upcoming Xbox game releases in this article.

Xbox Leader Phil Spencer Acknowledges Major Franchise Mistakes as His "Worst Decisions"

Xbox Missed Major Opportunities with Destiny and Guitar Hero

In a "Story Time with Phil Spencer" interview at PAX West 2024, the head of Xbox discussed influential games in his career and major franchises that slipped away. Spencer revealed he turned down deals for Bungie's Destiny and Harmonix's Guitar Hero—choices he now ranks among his biggest career missteps.

Spencer, who joined Xbox when Bungie was still a Microsoft studio, shared his complex history with Destiny. "Destiny brings up many mixed emotions and memories," he explained. "Bungie was part of Microsoft when I started, and I worked alongside Alex Seropian and Jason Jones in our Redmond office. I learned so much just from being around their team."

Despite this connection, Spencer admitted Destiny didn't initially appeal to him. It wasn't until the House of Wolves expansion that the game captured his interest. Regarding Guitar Hero, Spencer recalled his initial doubts when Harmonix presented the concept. "I've made some terrible choices when it comes to game opportunities," he confessed.

Dune: Awakening Faces Development Hurdles for Xbox Release

Despite these missed chances, Spencer prefers focusing on future opportunities rather than past regrets. "I'm not someone who dwells on regrets," he stated. "While I've passed on many games, I choose to look forward and stay positive about our current projects."

Xbox continues to pursue major franchise additions, including Funcom's Dune: Awakening, an action RPG based on the iconic Dune universe. The game is scheduled for release on Xbox Series S alongside PC and PS5, though the Xbox version has presented development challenges.

Funcom's chief product officer Scott Junior discussed these challenges during Gamescom 2024. "This is partly why we're launching on PC first," Junior explained. "We need to complete significant optimization before the Xbox release. The Xbox Series S specifically presents technical challenges." However, Junior confirmed the game will perform well even on older hardware, telling VG247: "The game will run smoothly on years-old systems. We're confident we can deliver this."

Enotria: The Last Song Encounters Xbox Release Obstacles

In related news, Enotria: The Last Song from indie developer Jyamma Games faces Xbox release delays just weeks before its scheduled September 19 launch. The developer claims Microsoft hasn't responded to their submission, despite the game being "essentially ready for both Series S and X." Jyamma Games CEO Jacky Greco expressed frustration with Xbox's communication gap, which has stalled the Xbox release. Consequently, Enotria will debut on PlayStation 5 and PC while the Xbox version remains uncertain.

"We recognize how disappointing this news is for Xbox fans. Despite our team's tremendous effort, we've encountered obstacles that prevent our Xbox release," the studio stated on their official website.

As reported by Windows Central, Jyamma Games CEO Jacky Greco further addressed the Xbox delay situation on the game's Discord channel. Greco wrote: "Ask Xbox why they haven't responded to us for two months," adding, "Clearly they don't value Enotria or its fans... We have the Series X/S version ready, but we can't proceed with submission and release. We invested heavily in the port, and they've chosen to ignore us."

Greco told Insider Gaming that the postponement stems from communication issues with Xbox regarding store page setup and game submission. "We're eager to launch on Xbox as soon as possible," the studio tweeted, "but without proper communication from their side, this becomes extremely difficult."