-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
How would you grade Phil Spencer’s tenure as head of Xbox?
ChorizoPicozo
Member
Ctrl-F:
ShadyAcshuns
Member
A "D" for being a big dumb ass. At one point he was doing great things with early Game Pass and MS Rewards, but he let them both go to shit. The worst thing he did was the ABK acquisition and his idiotic stance on exclusives. He really went out of his way to make sure Series X/S weren't necessities.
Puscifer
Member
Give him a C originally but I'll change to a B, Xbox was basically fucked after that X1 presentation and managed to have a generation barely better than the first one.
Every challenge that's come his way he manages to lead Xbox out of it, you REALLY have to give him credit for that as a leader.
But overall he's managing a slowly moving ship that's headed for an iceberg and he's actually doing a great job at slowing it down, take that for what you will but I can't help but be impressed at doing a job that many would've jumped ship on.
Also, you can tell he's just old enough to appreciate games still and not just leading a business like Jim. The fact PSO 2 hit US Xbox before PlayStation is wild to me.
Every challenge that's come his way he manages to lead Xbox out of it, you REALLY have to give him credit for that as a leader.
But overall he's managing a slowly moving ship that's headed for an iceberg and he's actually doing a great job at slowing it down, take that for what you will but I can't help but be impressed at doing a job that many would've jumped ship on.
Also, you can tell he's just old enough to appreciate games still and not just leading a business like Jim. The fact PSO 2 hit US Xbox before PlayStation is wild to me.
DirtyBast8rd
Member
I rated him F for Fuck Him. Dude has been lying for years to wait for next year.
ShadowkillXNA
Member
You sound like you're taking that a little personally.
Why is that?
Last edited:
bitbydeath
Member
He killed it, both literally and Figuratively.
balls of snow
Member
What was it in Dark Knight Rises, what good is a war hero during peace time.
He should have step down either after onex launched or after getting bethesda.
Unknown Soldier
Member
I wanted to vote him Rank S because he's doing God's work to get MS out of gaming but I could tell the poll was made by a serious green rat with the publicly visible results and the no way to see results without voting so I didn't waste my effort on it
Last edited:
clarky
Gold Member
Actually good point. That's about the only decent move he's made for me.
MacReady13
Member
Pretty piss poor. Buys up companies. Cancelled games. Hasn't delivered on quality games. Introduced a sub service and trained his loyal followers to not buy any games. Bows to woke mobs. Ruined the once great Xbox brand as a console into the shell of what it is today. He is non committal and speaks out of both sides of his mouth. Fair to say I'm not a fan at all.
TrebleShot
Member
Utter failure
Last place in each gen
Spunked 80bln on useless franchises
Last place in each gen
Spunked 80bln on useless franchises
ByWatterson
Member
The second thing you said is true because most think the first thing is false.
I just don't know to grade someone like Phil Spencer, whose job isn't really to run Xbox as a good stand-alone business, but to make Xbox 'fit in with the vision' at Microsoft.
Microsoft doesn't really need a healthy business in the stagnant console business. They're not looking for the small dollars that a hit like Starfield might bring in, or the revenue from Gamepass which might not even be profitable. Microsoft, as a megacap company, is always chasing the next trillion dollar opportunity like generative AI, and they're battling other megacap companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon for those opportunities. That's what they really care about.
Phil's job is for the broader entertainment division to provide some sort of nebulous synergy to whatever Microsoft's doing, and to otherwise not be a burden while doing so. Two years ago when Meta and everyone else was chasing the metaverse fantasy, Microsoft initially sold the ABK acquisition as going to help them beat Meta at the metaverse and beat Google's Stadia at cloud gaming. That's really Phil's job, to run a sort of tributary state within the company.
Microsoft doesn't really need a healthy business in the stagnant console business. They're not looking for the small dollars that a hit like Starfield might bring in, or the revenue from Gamepass which might not even be profitable. Microsoft, as a megacap company, is always chasing the next trillion dollar opportunity like generative AI, and they're battling other megacap companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon for those opportunities. That's what they really care about.
Phil's job is for the broader entertainment division to provide some sort of nebulous synergy to whatever Microsoft's doing, and to otherwise not be a burden while doing so. Two years ago when Meta and everyone else was chasing the metaverse fantasy, Microsoft initially sold the ABK acquisition as going to help them beat Meta at the metaverse and beat Google's Stadia at cloud gaming. That's really Phil's job, to run a sort of tributary state within the company.
Pejo
Member
I'll put it this way. He didn't do his specific job of "making great decisions and putting good qualified people in positions to succeed."
But I also think that he at least cares about gaming opposed to a lot of the beancounters at the C-level positions in various gaming companies.
He put an emphasis on throwing the checkbook around instead of properly managing people who didn't properly manage projects and lost sight of the whole point - making great games. I don't think MS has had a truly great leader ever - so far, but I wouldn't say Phil was outright shit. His legacy isn't really something that will be remembered fondly though, at least I don't think so.
But I also think that he at least cares about gaming opposed to a lot of the beancounters at the C-level positions in various gaming companies.
He put an emphasis on throwing the checkbook around instead of properly managing people who didn't properly manage projects and lost sight of the whole point - making great games. I don't think MS has had a truly great leader ever - so far, but I wouldn't say Phil was outright shit. His legacy isn't really something that will be remembered fondly though, at least I don't think so.
TwiztidElf
Member
F
I literally can't think of one positive thing to say.
I literally can't think of one positive thing to say.
Last edited:
FalconPunch
Member
Nah Mattrick was better. Even during the latter half of the 360's life, he still managed to put out games consistently. Yes they were Kinect games but, it's better than going whole years while releasing little to no games. Spencer is the worst Xbox ceo in the history of Xbox and will be known for killing the brand. All the dude did was whine, oh matrick matrick matrick despite the fact that he was head of the games division under Mattrick. Other companies had some awful stinkers. Nintendo with the Gamecube and Wii U, Sony with the PS3 and Vita, yet somehow, they managed to fight back. Spencer took over the Xbox One and did nothing. Then he launched a whole new console(Series) with no games, no new ui, no new controller. Completely absurd and unheard of in the land of consoles. Like why even bother.
BiohazardX95
Member
F, Xbox Brand is dead. I think only Mexico prefers Xbox over PS or Nintendo. At least in Mexico most of the Xbox gamers here bought gamepass for very cheap but actually the brand has been in decay here too because the easy tricks for getting gamepass for cheap are gone.
Hawking Radiation
Member
How in God's green earth Phil fucking Spencer is still in charge of the Xbox division is beyond me.
I'm starting to think that even deliberitely defecating on Satyas office desk and setting the Xbox headquarters ablaze would not get this man removed from that position. It's honestly baffling.
Voted F for FuckOff
I'm starting to think that even deliberitely defecating on Satyas office desk and setting the Xbox headquarters ablaze would not get this man removed from that position. It's honestly baffling.
Voted F for FuckOff
Last edited:
Not_A-Cop_Maybe
Member
reinking
Gold Member
I was going to go with C but I changed it to an F as I started rationalizing my C grade....
For all of the praise he gets for "saving Xbox" he is also responsible for the current console being on life support. He managed to do this by burning through billions of dollars of Microsoft's money. I believe there are many people out there, including some that have worked for Microsoft, that could have done a much better job with the resources that he was given. The only thing he seems to be good at is convincing Nadella to spend more money and give him promotions. That, and con the media into giving him multiple awards for his ability to try and spend the competition out of business.
* I guess I can't change my vote so I will change the meaning of my C to collapse. As in what is happening to the Xbox console under Phil's watch. Poor Sarah, will she get the benefit of inheriting the Xbox at a low point when people talk about her?
For all of the praise he gets for "saving Xbox" he is also responsible for the current console being on life support. He managed to do this by burning through billions of dollars of Microsoft's money. I believe there are many people out there, including some that have worked for Microsoft, that could have done a much better job with the resources that he was given. The only thing he seems to be good at is convincing Nadella to spend more money and give him promotions. That, and con the media into giving him multiple awards for his ability to try and spend the competition out of business.
* I guess I can't change my vote so I will change the meaning of my C to collapse. As in what is happening to the Xbox console under Phil's watch. Poor Sarah, will she get the benefit of inheriting the Xbox at a low point when people talk about her?
Last edited:
Nydius
Member
D, but only because he kept Xbox from completely crashing and burning early during the Xbox One era.
The problem is he hasn't done anything to improve the brand since then. He's presided over a prolonged series of clusterfucks that makes the Xbox One reveal look tame by comparison. Unlike the Xbox One reveal, the decisions Phil and Company have made are unlikely to be turned around. He's basically fast tracked the Xbox brand into irrelevance chasing short term gains.
The problem is he hasn't done anything to improve the brand since then. He's presided over a prolonged series of clusterfucks that makes the Xbox One reveal look tame by comparison. Unlike the Xbox One reveal, the decisions Phil and Company have made are unlikely to be turned around. He's basically fast tracked the Xbox brand into irrelevance chasing short term gains.
Seems pretty Preposterous he would objectively get this kind of grade from a consumer.
Pros
-He corrected the Xbox one debacle with separating the kinetic and reducing price.
-one S and One X were both great designs and performers
-Series X is a fantastic built console
-day and date games with PC and Xbox
-increased first party studios by 5-7 times? Not sure on exact numbers but I think at the time they had 4/5? Now they have over 30.
-gave people the OPTION of a subscription service that has a ton of shit on it.
-convinced a bunch of eastern studios to make games for Xbox again
-pushed heavily to get crossplay
- has by far the best backwards compatible program
Cons
-Gamepass may have fucked up their sales of games.
-we are only in the very early stages of seeing the payoff of all the studio purchases, seems like Xbox fans have been waiting a while.
-mixed messaging often
- series s was a mistake. Should have done the disc and digital only series x from the beginning.
I’m sure I’m missing both pros and cons. But to me this is so far from a F.
Pros
-He corrected the Xbox one debacle with separating the kinetic and reducing price.
-one S and One X were both great designs and performers
-Series X is a fantastic built console
-day and date games with PC and Xbox
-increased first party studios by 5-7 times? Not sure on exact numbers but I think at the time they had 4/5? Now they have over 30.
-gave people the OPTION of a subscription service that has a ton of shit on it.
-convinced a bunch of eastern studios to make games for Xbox again
-pushed heavily to get crossplay
- has by far the best backwards compatible program
Cons
-Gamepass may have fucked up their sales of games.
-we are only in the very early stages of seeing the payoff of all the studio purchases, seems like Xbox fans have been waiting a while.
-mixed messaging often
- series s was a mistake. Should have done the disc and digital only series x from the beginning.
I’m sure I’m missing both pros and cons. But to me this is so far from a F.
Edmund
Member
As I mentioned in a previous thread, Phil is the guy who enables God mode in a videogame but somehow manages to die.
He's really good at lying and making Sony sound like bad guys. I have a friend who was a Sony fan but this gen he hates Sony and loves Xbox thanks to Phil. It's really weird to see the amount of influence Phil has on people. He has A LOT of people stepping over themselves to defend him.
I'd rate Phil an F but his ability to lie and make himself sound like the saviour of gaming is A+
So I give him a C overall.
He's really good at lying and making Sony sound like bad guys. I have a friend who was a Sony fan but this gen he hates Sony and loves Xbox thanks to Phil. It's really weird to see the amount of influence Phil has on people. He has A LOT of people stepping over themselves to defend him.
I'd rate Phil an F but his ability to lie and make himself sound like the saviour of gaming is A+
So I give him a C overall.
Last edited:
BbMajor7th
Member
The hardware gap was only an issue in the early adopter phase, with hardcore audiences who cared about pixel counts. By the time the X1X came out the generation had already moved into a mainstream adoption phase where pixel counts matter less than games and active player base.
Mid-gen refreshes only account for a fraction of total sales. Far from X1X being a win for XBOX it was a waste of time and resources. Would have been far better to take the L on power and focus on the software and brand (just like Sony did with PS3) and Nintendo is still doing.
The fact that Phil thought it better to develop a stronger version of a console with no must-have exclusives than elevate the existing install base with a half dozen 90+ bangers tells you how little he understands about his industry. The fact that he placed outright focus on price and power at the head of this gen tells you how little he's learnt.
{insert code here}
Member
Absolutely abysmal leadership. In the future, there's going to be college lectures on product/marketing collapse with Xbox as the main subject.
I want to go find an early Xbox 360 Elite with the blades dashboard and just leave it up as a memorial to one of the greatest console experiences ever made
I want to go find an early Xbox 360 Elite with the blades dashboard and just leave it up as a memorial to one of the greatest console experiences ever made
Arsic
Loves his juicy stink trail scent
C.
Gamepass on pc has saved me thousands of dollars. Don’t need a Xbox , don’t need to buy exclusive, and save money on other games I’d normally just not buy.
Really though it should be a F.
This cunt nugget has killed under his reign:
-Xbox console sales
-Halo
-Gears
-Forza
-Fable
Anything Xbox was good at and caused people to buy the machine, is no longer around or dead in the water or looking like dog shit.
This man ass banged Xbox fans. The only people that won are pc players who wanted to save some bucks.
Gamepass on pc has saved me thousands of dollars. Don’t need a Xbox , don’t need to buy exclusive, and save money on other games I’d normally just not buy.
Really though it should be a F.
This cunt nugget has killed under his reign:
-Xbox console sales
-Halo
-Gears
-Forza
-Fable
Anything Xbox was good at and caused people to buy the machine, is no longer around or dead in the water or looking like dog shit.
This man ass banged Xbox fans. The only people that won are pc players who wanted to save some bucks.
digoutyoursoul
Member
The dweebs will be out in force goading anyone who doesn’t rate him the week Hellblade 2 releases and reviews well.
Xbox Era already have a first draft written up without even playing it.
If you are a fan of Xbox and big up this guy you are taking the piss and it says a lot about you. You should be wanting them to do better for your own benefit not trolling in the name of mediocrity.
Xbox Era already have a first draft written up without even playing it.
If you are a fan of Xbox and big up this guy you are taking the piss and it says a lot about you. You should be wanting them to do better for your own benefit not trolling in the name of mediocrity.
Humdinger
Member
Good Points
Bad Points
Overall grade, D.
- Charismatic, good people skills
- BC program in the beginning of Xbox One era
- Reversed several of the bad decisions related to the Xbox One launch
- Had a vision for the future (become the Netflix of gaming), and he was enthusiastic about it
- He saved Xbox gamers some money
Bad Points
- His vision did not work
- He has been unable to produce more than a trickle of high-quality exclusives over the past 10 years.
- He presided over the worst generation the Xbox had (not counting the current one). Lots of promises about "next year," very little follow-through. Most of the good will from the 360 era was squandered.
- Made the decision to develop the S console, which hampered developers.
- Sales for the Xbox series X/S are poor. We have to consider sales the basic metric of success for a CEO.
- Business is so bad on Xbox that they need to port their exclusives to Playstation and Switch in order to make money.
- Instead of putting resources into developing great games, he spent 80 billion of Daddy's money to buy other publishers.
- Lies, PR spin, and BS.
- Selfishness (buying out Nintendo would have been a "career moment" for him; never mind what it would do to Nintendo and the game industry)
Overall grade, D.
Dr.Morris79
Member
More woke shit would certainly push him to an S rating. Seems to be going the right way 
THE DUCK
voted poster of the decade by bots
Not sure how he killed any of those, maybe halo and one of the 2 forza games. Even then down but not out.
Forza horizon is doing just fine, Fable isn't even out yet so you have no idea. Gears last game universally liked. Even Halo can still be rescued with a regular on rails/story driven sequel.
Console hardware sales can stay, it's been legit weak.
Also your forgetting one important things that Xbox gamers did get - gamepass. For some of us, it's actually saved us a bunch of money and the ability to try games we never would have. So while he was "banging" you, might not have been the case for everyone.
Last edited:
Laptop1991
Member
From a PC gamer's perspective on the quality of games released so far, yeah it's an F and the state of Xbox at the moment by all reports i'm seeing has to be the same score as well!. all he had to do was make great games, but he didn't want to.
Similar threads
- Poll