Xbox chief Phil Spencer says that the recent closure of several studios was a result of his need “to run a sustainable business.”
Speaking at IGN Live, Spencer said that “the closure of any team is hard obviously on the individuals there, hard on the [Xbox] team.” Spencer has drawn criticism since the closure of studios including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks for his relative absence from the public sphere. In apparent response to that, he said that “I haven’t been talking publicly about this, because right now is the time for us to focus on the team and the individuals […] and I want to make sure that we’re doing the right thing for the individuals on the team. It’s not about my PR, it’s not about Xbox PR. It’s about those teams.”
Spencer went on to attempt to justify the closures by saying that “in the end, I’ve said over and over, I have to run a sustainable business inside the company and grow, and that means sometimes I have to make hard decisions that frankly are not decisions I love, but decisions that somebody needs to go make.”
Despite the closures, Spencer said that Xbox will “continue to go forward” and “invest in what we’re trying to go do in Xbox and build the best business we can.” While he suggests that those decisions were an important part of shaping the recent Xbox Games Showcase, the uncertain future of any Microsoft-owned studio in the wake of these closures can make it difficult to emotionally invest in any given studio.