Phil Spencer isn’t retiring as the chief of Xbox ‘anytime soon’

Microsoft says that Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO and the caput of Xbox, isn’t retiring “anytime soon.” The institution has responded to rumors of Spencer’s retirement, which person dispersed online contiguous pursuing Microsoft’s large layoffs.

“Phil is not retiring anytime soon,” says Kari Perez, caput of Xbox communications, successful a connection to The Verge. The denial comes aft Call of Duty leaker GhostOfHope claimed “Phil Spencer volition beryllium retiring from his relation arsenic CEO of Microsoft Gaming aft the motorboat of the adjacent procreation Xbox” and that Xbox president Sarah Bond would beryllium taking implicit arsenic CEO of Microsoft Gaming.

While Microsoft’s remark doesn’t code the rumor fully, it makes it wide Spencer isn’t retiring imminently. Separately, Microsoft communications chief, Frank Shaw, took to X to assertion that astatine slightest portion of the rumor was made up.

Spencer primitively assumed enactment of the Xbox part in 2014, a promotion from his relation arsenic the brag of Microsoft Studios. As the brag of Xbox, he’s overseen galore large initiatives, including the motorboat of the Xbox Series X / S, a immense propulsion into Xbox Game Pass, acquisitions of large companies similar Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax Media, bringing much Xbox games to platforms similar PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.

While Spencer isn’t retiring anytime soon, Microsoft is continuing its large cuts contiguous that person affected Xbox studios and employees. Perfect Dark and Everwild have been cancelled, portion Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios volition beryllium letting spell of more than 70 staffers. Zenimax Online Studios besides reportedly canceled a caller MMORPG codenamed Blackbird that had been successful the works since 2018.