So apparently Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond are retiring. 

Asha from Meta and formerly Instacart will be replacing Phil Spencer. She has nothing to do with gaming in her background, but a lot to do with AI. I expect MS to basically start using AI to increase the rate of their games coming out while firing more humans. Eventually MS properties will be A.I. slop. I'm scared for Doom, Fallout, Senua, Wolfenstein, and a few others. The rest I don't really care about or have given up on decades ago. 

Yeah... somebody needs to save these IP:

- Spyro the Dragon
- Crash Bandicoot
- Banjo Kazooie
- Conker the Squirrel
- Tony Hawk
- The Elder Scrolls
- Doom
- Fallout
- Halo
- Gears of War
- Call of Duty
- Skylanders
- And so many others...

What worries me most is the future of the (allegedly) in-development Spyro 4 and Crash Racing games. Will these projects be canned? Are studios about to get shut down? Will they even live up to the quality of the Spyro/Crash standard? Aah I don't like all this worrying lol. There's already too many games for me to play ATM so I can survive knowing that Spyro/Crash's future have been quenched again.

Sarah Bond sounds like she was "fired"..... Phil Spencer took a early retirement.

Why would the replacement be someone from Meta, that has a focus on A.I ? To lead Xbox?

Xbox will have an AI focused boss? Great...

Phil Spencer was a joke, but come on...

I always thought Sony should have poached Sarah Bond. Hurst needs to go, I wonder if they would consider bringing her on in at least some sort of role.

"We will not treat those worlds as static IP to milk and monetize." 

Bullshit. MS led the way with making microtransactions. XB1 launch games had egregious MTX. They pushed Halo and Gears into Live Service slop territory. 

"We will not flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop." - Says the new CEO whose work history is working for an AI Slop company. 

Phil's head should have rolled years ago, he demolished their console business.

An AI guy taking over is classic MS; their MO since 2013 has been to step on every possible rake and stumble at every possible obstacle.

zombiefranchise
noun

zom·​bie ˈzäm-bē  ˈfran-ˌchīz 
variants or less commonly
Synonyms of zombiefranchise; simpsonitis
1
a
: an intellectual property that no longer has its original creator and lacks effective leadership.
2
a
: an intellectual property that should have ended but now exists only to make money.
3
a
: an intellectual property that has almost no ties to the original creators. Often purchased by an unrelated company and left to slowly fad into irrelevance with a lackluster continuation of said IP.

Bloodtears had a good question in the "article" comment section. Thought it should be added to this actual thread. 

"One has to wonder if this new CEO is even a fan of GamePass? We've all had that discussion if it's profitable or not when you take in 1st party budgets in the mix with everything. Could this new CEO get rid of GamePass entirely if the growth isn't there longterm?"  

You should all read what the new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has to say: 

First, great games.

Everything begins here. We must have great games beloved by players before we do anything. Unforgettable characters, stories that make us feel, innovative game play, and creative excellence. We will empower our studios, invest in iconic franchises, and back bold new ideas. We will take risks. We will enter new categories and markets where we can add real value, grounded in what players care about most.

I promoted Matt Booty in honor of this commitment. He understands the craft and the challenges of building great games, has led teams that deliver award-winning work, and has earned the trust of game developers across the industry.

Second, the return of Xbox.

We will recommit to our core Xbox fans and players, those who have invested with us for the past 25 years, and to the developers who build the expansive universes and experiences that are embraced by players across the world.

We will celebrate our roots with a renewed commitment to Xbox starting with console which has shaped who we are. It connects us to the players and fans who invest in Xbox, and to the developers who build ambitious experiences for it.

Gaming now lives across devices, not within the limits of any single piece of hardware. As we expand across PC, mobile, and cloud, Xbox should feel seamless, instant, and worthy of the communities we serve. We will break down barriers so developers can build once and reach players everywhere without compromise.

Third, future of play.

We are witnessing the reinvention of play.

To meet the moment, we will invent new business models and new ways to play by leaning into what we already have: iconic teams, characters, and worlds that people love. But we will not treat those worlds as static IP to milk and monetize. We will build a shared platform and tools that empower developers and players to create and share their own stories.

As monetization and AI evolve and influence this future, we will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop. Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.

The next 25 years belong to the teams who dare to build something surprising, something no one else is willing to try, and have the patience to see it through. We have done this before, and I am here to help us do it again. I want to return to the renegade spirit that built Xbox in the first place. It will require us to relentlessly question everything, revisit processes, protect what works, and be brave enough to change what does not.