By Xbox’s head of communications chimes in
- by Ben Kerry & Fraser Gilbert
Update #2 []: In a further update, Xbox’s head of communications (Kari Perez) has now told The Verge that Phil Spencer won’t be retiring “anytime soon”. Here’s the exact quote from their report:
“’Phil is not retiring anytime soon,’ says Kari Perez, head of Xbox communications, in a statement to The Verge.”
TheGhostofHope (who posted the original rumour) has responded with the following:
“Microsoft have commented on this and said Phil isn’t retiring “anytime soon”. Who you choose to believe from here is up to you. I just post stuff I hear from trusted sources and don’t mind if I end up getting it wrong.”
Update #1 []: In response to this, Windows Central is reporting that plans aren’t in place for Phil Spencer to step down as things stand.
“There are no plans for Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s Xbox and gaming lead, to exit the company (at least for now).”
“To our knowledge, nothing is imminent at the moment, though plans, just like people, can change over time, so we’ll see what happens.”
Original Story: As if today hasn’t been enough of a whirlwind for us at PX HQ — and everyone else closely following Xbox right now — fresh rumours are doing the rounds that long time boss Phil Spencer may step down from his role in the near future.
Call of Duty insider TheGhostOfHope has gone public with this, claiming that Phil is “ensuring a smooth transition” towards the brand being led by current Xbox President Sarah Bond once the team’s next-gen console has come and gone. Here’s their social media post on this ‘exclusive’ information:
Now, this alone wouldn’t exactly convince us of much – but it’s been backed up by Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson; a reporter with wider industry connections. Henderson says that “it’s a rumor that I’ve also heard a couple of times this year at the Summer Game Fest” and while he “can’t fully corroborate” the above info, Henderson was even preparing for a potential announcement today to accompany Xbox’s broader layoffs.
Again, given that Henderson can’t fully corroborate this rumour — and the likes of WC’s Jez Corden aren’t convinced it’s true either — we do have to be cautious here – but TheGhostOfHope is certainly convinced that this is a change in the making over at Microsoft. We can only wait and see what happens with Phil and the Xbox leadership team in the coming years, but it’s definitely been a tumultuous time for the brand over the last few years.
Could you see Phil bowing out after the last few years? Talk to us about this new rumour down in the comments.
[source insider-gaming.com]
Ben is a News Writer at Pure Xbox, and is a fan of action, racing and straight-up shootin’ in any Xbox game he can get his hands on. When he’s not clutching an Xbox controller like his life depends on it, Ben spends his time listening to music that’s far too old for him, watching football on the telly and probably eating somewhere.