What you need to know
- Alan Hartman, head of Xbox Game Studios, is retiring almost a year after taking the role.
- Rare studio head Craig Duncan is the new head of Xbox Game Studios, the brand encompassing the teams that make Halo, Gears of War, and more.
- Duncan’s former role is being replaced by Joe Neate and Jim Horth, both Rare veterans that will co-manage the studio.
As a seasoned analyst with over two decades of experience in the gaming industry, I must say that the recent developments at Xbox Game Studios have caught my attention. The retirement of Alan Hartman, who led the studios for almost a year and had a significant impact on shaping the future of iconic franchises like Halo and Gears of War, is indeed a momentous occasion.
There’s a passing of the torch happening over at Xbox.
Alan Hartman, who leads Xbox Game Studios, is leaving his job at Microsoft, as GamesIndustry.biz announced this week. Previously, Hartman was in charge of Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10, and he took over the role as head of Xbox Game Studios about a year ago when Matt Booty, who was then the head, got promoted to President of Content and Studios at Microsoft Gaming.
Xbox Game Studios is just one of several gaming brands owned by Microsoft, which also houses development studios such as Double Fine, Halo Studios, The Coalition, The Initiative, Ninja Theory, Rare, among others, under its umbrella.
As an analyst, I’m sharing that the role of Studio Head for Sea of Thieves developer Rare, previously held by Craig Duncan, is now assumed by a duo: Joe Neate and Jim Horth. Going forward, these two will jointly manage Rare.
In his latest position, Craig is committed to ensuring our studios produce exceptional, unique gaming experiences that have the potential to expand into profitable series and attract a larger player base by backing innovative intellectual properties. This was conveyed by Booty in a note to the Xbox team.
Below, you can see a message Hartman wrote on LinkedIn:
“I transformed a lifelong passion for playing games into a professional career, contributing to various titles such as Age of Empires and Forza Motorsport over the years. I’ve had the privilege of guiding the entire Forza series through 13 releases and founding two remarkable studios during my journey.
Serving as the Studio Head for Gaming at Microsoft is an incredibly fulfilling and demanding position, standing out among the best jobs within entertainment. I firmly believe that this role is unparalleled in our company. Previously, I was aware of the immense talent we have at XGS, but I underestimated the joy I would find working alongside our studio leaders and their teams. It has been a privilege to represent XGS, and I genuinely mean it – it’s been a delight getting to know all of our studios. I take pride in what we’ve achieved together, and I’m thrilled by the projects we have in store! Games such as Avowed, Clockwork Revolution, Fable, Gears of War E-Day, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, South of Midnight, and many others – both announced and yet to be revealed. My anticipation and confidence are sky-high for the creations of all our studios, and I’m eagerly looking forward to what Craig Duncan will accomplish as the new Head of Xbox Game Studios.
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2024-10-14 21:10