Do you think Phil Spencer's departure from Xbox will be a loss? The Monday letters page is still celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Legend Of Zelda, with one reader raising the question of fans for Far Cry. Games Inbox is a platform for our readers to share their thoughts, comments, and opinions. To participate in the discussions, simply send us an email.
I just came across the news of Phil Spencer leaving Xbox and I'm at a loss for words. Personally, I believe he should have left at least five years ago. But the person taking over doesn't sound any better. If it were some boring accountant type, I wouldn't be as concerned. But someone who's last big project was focused on AI? And they're from Microsoft? I have a feeling it's going to be a mess.
The best case scenario is that this new person admits they don't know much about gaming and focuses on the business aspect, bringing in a team of experts to handle the details. But the fact that they promoted Matt Booty doesn't give me much hope, as I believe he was even worse than Spencer.
We'll have to wait and see what happens, as we have no say in the matter. But let's be honest, this change was long overdue and I'm not sure if the Xbox brand can be saved at this point.
On a different note, it's unlikely that Sony will be worried about this news. It seems like Microsoft decided to go in the opposite direction by choosing someone who is not a gamer as their new boss. I can understand the logic, but I highly doubt it will work out well.
How will someone with no knowledge about gaming make sensible decisions about Halo or funding new games? On the other hand, maybe it's a good thing they have no experience, considering Spencer's track record in recent years. But it's not a great starting point.
Personally, I haven't played an Xbox game since the Xbox 360, so I don't have a personal stake in this. However, I think we can all agree that the PlayStation 5 could use some serious competition to keep them on their toes.
I was surprised to hear that Phil Spencer is finally leaving Xbox. And of course, the news had to come out in the most sneaky way possible, on a weekend when most people would miss it and the person is leaving on Monday? That doesn't sound like a respected veteran retiring. It's more like someone being forced out of the building by security the moment their boss reads them their rights.
Usually, we'll never find out the true story, but with Microsoft, it's likely that everything will eventually leak out. My guess is that the head of Microsoft had enough and Spencer had enough as well.
The guy is probably a multi-millionaire by now. If I were him, I'd leave everything behind and start a brewery somewhere. I can't wait for him to start doing interviews in a few years, where everyone will treat him like a business genius rather than the person who killed Xbox.
On a different note, I played Red Dead Redemption 2 this weekend. It's a game I go back to every so often, not because I love it more than my other games, but because I've been playing it since 2018 and still haven't finished it. I did manage to complete a new mission and have reached 36% on the story.
I think this game is more of a mood than anything else. It's so relaxing when not in gunfights. The hunting and fishing keep me occupied, and I don't feel pressured to finish it. There's no urgency. I think Red Dead Redemption 2 might be the game I've owned the longest and still haven't finished. I beat Minecraft before finishing Red Redemption 2?
Do any of you have a long-term project like this?
It's hard to believe it's only been four years since Far Cry 6 was released. It feels like much longer. I think that's when Ubisoft lost their way. After the game flopped, they seemed to give up on everything except Assassin's Creed... and live service games, of course.
I wonder what they have planned for the next game to make it stand out. Being away for a while might not be enough to draw people in. Games like Far Cry are popular, but I don't think they have a dedicated fan base like Zelda or Resident Evil.
Or maybe I'm wrong, and there is a large following for Far Cry 6 and its characters.
I recently bought the cardboard Virtual Boy 'headset' and spent the weekend playing the games. Why is everything red? It's not a great idea, and it's just as bad as you'd expect. As mentioned in your review, it's like everything is covered in blood or set on Mars.
Despite that, I enjoyed trying out all these strange games I've never heard of and wouldn't have played otherwise. I can't say I loved any of them, but Wario Land was decent, despite being slow. It was interesting to see the 'other platforms in the background' feature, which Nintendo has used in other games since.
I'm looking forward to playing the other games, especially the cancelled F-Zero one, in the future. Even if they're terrible, I like the feeling of getting a glimpse into a secret world.
Star Fox 2 was also like that. You could see why it was canned, but it was still interesting to play.
Lastly, I saw the banned ad for Call of Duty, and I can't believe anyone thought it was a good idea. I'd love to know if Activision or Xbox approved it and said, "Yes, let's show it." I never thought either of them would make an ad like that, and I'm not surprised it was banned.
Do you have any thoughts about Phil Spencer's departure from Xbox? The Monday letters section is still celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, and one reader is wondering about the popularity of Far Cry among fans.
Welcome to Games Inbox, where we feature our readers' letters, comments, and opinions. If you'd like to join in on the discussions, you can email us at the given address.
I just saw the news about Phil Spencer leaving Xbox and I'm at a loss for words. Personally, I think he should have left at least five years ago, but now the person taking over sounds even worse. If it was some boring accountant type, I wouldn't be as worried, but someone whose last big project was focused on AI? And they're from Microsoft? It's going to be a mess.
The best scenario would be if the new boss admits they have no knowledge about gaming and only knows business, and hires a team to handle the details. But the fact that Matt Booty was promoted doesn't give me much hope, as I think he's even worse than Spencer.
We'll have to wait and see what happens, as we can't influence the situation. But I can't help but feel like this change is long overdue, and I'm not sure if the Xbox brand can be saved at this point. Gaston
I doubt Sony is feeling threatened by the news of Xbox's new boss. It seems like Microsoft decided to go for the complete opposite of a gamer as their boss this time around. While I can see the logic behind this decision, I highly doubt it will work out in their favor.
How is someone with no knowledge about gaming supposed to make sensible decisions about popular titles like Halo or funding new games? Maybe it's better that they have no experience, considering how things have been going with Spencer in recent years. But it doesn't seem like a good starting point.
I'll admit that I haven't played an Xbox game since the Xbox 360, so I don't have a personal stake in this. However, I think everyone can agree that the PlayStation 5 could use some serious competition to keep them on their toes. Focus
It's been a long time coming, but Phil Spencer has finally left Xbox. The news was announced in a rather shady way, over the weekend when most people would have missed it, and with his departure set for Monday? That doesn't sound like a respected veteran retiring. It sounds more like a security escorting someone out of the building after they were fired.
Normally, we would never find out the truth behind this kind of situation, but with Microsoft, things tend to leak out. My guess is that the head of Microsoft had enough, and Spencer decided it was time to move on as well.
The guy must be a multi-millionaire by now. If I were him, I would leave everything behind and buy a brewery somewhere. I can't wait to see him do interviews in a few years, where he will be treated as a business genius rather than the guy who "killed" Xbox. Wotan
I spent the weekend playing Red Dead Redemption 2. It's a game I keep going back to, not because I love it more than my other games, but because I've been playing it since 2018 and still haven't finished it. I did manage to complete a new mission and reach 36% on the story.
The game has a certain mood to it, especially when you're not in gunfights. The hunting and fishing keep me occupied, and I don't feel pressured to finish it. There's no urgency. Red Dead Redemption 2 might be the game I've owned the longest without finishing. I've beaten Minecraft, but not Red Dead Redemption 2?
Do any of you have a long-term project like this? Bobwallett
It's hard to believe that Far Cry 6 was released just four years ago. It feels like such a long time ago. I think that was when Ubisoft lost their way. After the game's failure, they seemed to give up on everything except Assassin's Creed and live service games.
I'm not sure what they're planning for the next game to make it stand out, but I don't think taking a break will be enough to bring back the hype. While games like Far Cry are popular, they don't have a dedicated fan base like Zelda or Resident Evil. Or maybe I'm wrong, and there's a big following for Far Cry 6 and its characters. Cuit
I recently bought the cardboard Virtual Boy "headset," and I've been playing the games over the weekend. All I can ask is, why is everything red?
It sounds like a bad idea even before trying it, and when you do, it's just as bad as you'd expect. Like you mentioned in your review, it's like everything is covered in blood, or we're on Mars or something.
Despite that, I did enjoy trying out these weird games that I had never heard of before and probably wouldn't have tried otherwise. I can't say I loved any of them, but Wario Land was okay, even if it was a bit slow. It was interesting to see the "other platforms in the background" feature, which Nintendo has used in other games since then.
I look forward to playing the other games, especially the cancelled F-Zero one, in the future. Even if they're terrible, I like the feeling of getting a glimpse into a secret world. Star Fox 2 was the same. You could understand why they scrapped it, but it was still fascinating to play. Austin
I just saw the banned ad for Call of Duty, and I can't believe anyone thought it was a good idea. I'm curious to know if Activision or Xbox gave the green light and said, "Yes, that's a great ad, let's run it." I never thought either of them would approve something like that, and I'm not surprised it got banned. David
