Phil Spencer Reflects on 38 Years at Microsoft: 'I Never Could Have Imagined the Path Ahead'

Longtime Xbox caput and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer is retiring.

We broke this quality earlier this afternoon, alongside the quality that Xbox president Sarah Bond is besides departing the company, with existent president of Microsoft CoreAI Asha Sharma taking Spencer's spot astatine the apical of the gaming division.

While we've antecedently shared Spencer's interior email to the company, Spencer has since taken to societal media to station a much idiosyncratic connection to the gaming community, thanking those who made his enactment "full of joyousness and wonder."

It’s uncommon successful beingness to cognize erstwhile a section is closing, but aft 38 years astatine Microsoft, that infinitesimal has arrived for me. I’ve made the determination to discontinue and statesman the adjacent section of my life. It’s a milestone that’s fixed maine a accidental to bespeak connected the unthinkable travel I’ve been…

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 20, 2026

Here's his nationalist statement, successful full:

It’s uncommon successful beingness to cognize erstwhile a section is closing, but aft 38 years astatine Microsoft, that infinitesimal has arrived for me. I’ve made the determination to discontinue and statesman the adjacent section of my life. It’s a milestone that’s fixed maine a accidental to bespeak connected the unthinkable travel I’ve been fortunate capable to stock with truthful galore of you.I’m excited for [Asha Sharma] arsenic she steps into the CEO role. She’s joining an unthinkable radical of people; teams afloat of talent, heart, and a heavy committedness to the players they serve. Watching her thin successful with curiosity and a existent tendency to fortify the instauration we've built gives maine assurance that our Xbox communities volition beryllium good supported successful the years ahead.Thinking backmost to my commencement arsenic an intern successful 1988, I ne'er could person imagined the way ahead. I’ve been fortunate to enactment with truthful galore passionate creators, partners, colleagues, and players crossed the industry; radical who challenged me, taught me, and made this enactment afloat of joyousness and wonder.Thank you to everyone who’s been portion of this chapter. This assemblage has meant much to maine than I tin say.From here, I’ll support doing what’s ever mattered truthful overmuch to me: cheering connected the teams pushing this manufacture guardant and playing alongside this unthinkable community. I'll spot you online.

Spencer has, arsenic stated, been with Microsoft fo 38 years, opening successful 1988 arsenic an intern and joining the Xbox squad successful 2001, yet being named caput of Xbox successful 2014. At the time, Spencer's task was to acceptable the part connected people again aft a bid of merchandise and argumentation decisions that had near the Xbox assemblage frustrated. Spencer has been known passim his tenure arsenic 1 of the fewer gaming executives successful the manufacture who was himself openly a gamer, often playing with assemblage members and showing disconnected his assorted achievements successful Xbox games implicit the years.

Spencer led initiatives specified arsenic the motorboat of Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere, galore accessibility achievements, and oversaw the merchandise of the Xbox Series consoles. He besides instigated galore workplace acquisitions, opening with Playground Games, Undead Labs, Ninja Theory, and Compulsion successful 2018 and capping it disconnected by picking up Activision Blizzard successful 2022 for $69 billion. In caller years, helium has continued to steer Xbox amid increasing disapproval of the marque for its deficiency of beardown first-party exclusives, ongoing terms increases, and decreased worth of Game Pass.

Spencer's status volition officially instrumentality effect connected February 23, 2026.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].