Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has acknowledged the company’s relatively light slate of games in 2022 and says to expect an “exciting year” ahead.
In a new interview with IGN (opens in new tab), Spencer took personal responsibility for Xbox’s lack of big new releases in 2022, a year virtually devoid of major titles from Xbox’s in-house studios. Of course, Bethesda’s Starfield was originally due to launch in November of last year, but it was ultimately delayed to 2023 with no new concrete release date.
“Our commitment to our fans is that we need to have a steady release of great games that people can play on our platform, and we didn’t do enough of that in 2022, there’s no doubt,” said. “And fundamentally, that’s on me. I’m the head of the business.
“The commitment we have to our customers to continue to deliver great games is something that I take seriously, the teams take seriously, and 2022 was too light on games. So we’re excited about getting to roll into 2023.”
The media-trained Spencer was careful not reveal anything off schedule, but he did suggest 2023 will be a much busier year for Xbox for a number of reasons, not least of which the return to office following the COVID-imposed work-from-home protocols.
“When I think about the rest of the work that we’re doing this year, it’s going to be an exciting year. From a production standpoint, we’re coming out of all of the COVID at home, and I think we’ve got a better working rhythm as an industry and things that are going on, and I’m excited.”
Just looking at the current slate of upcoming Xbox Series X games, it’s easy to see how Spencer could stay true to his word, barring any delays of course. Xbox already shadow-dropped the incredibly charming Hi-Fi Rush, and then Arkane’s open-world co-op zombie shooter Redfall launches in May, Minecraft Legends is due out in April, and we’re still waiting on a release date for the undeniable Xbox headliner, Bethesda’s Starfield, but that’s slated for 2023 as well.
Here’s everything announced at the Xbox developer direct in case you missed the show.