Microsoft reorgs its Xbox and marketing teams to prepare for an AI and gaming future

A big shake-up ready for Activision Blizzard and the future of AI.

[darthv72]

Sarah will make a good president of Xbox.

[Obscure_Observer]

Yes!

I´m happy for Sarah as Xbox President! She deserves it!

Matt promoted to President of Games Content and Studios, Zenimax Studios will be fully integrated to XGS which will ensure more QA, collaborations between first party studios most definitely more diversity in games genres than ever before!

Hopefully the new CMO, Jerret West will do a better job than his predecessor, by giving us more transparency while promoting more the Xbox Series consoles. Specially the SX.

It´s a big shake up, and I´m couldn´t be happier for everyone getting promoted in recognition of a great work ahead of Xbox!

Very exciting times ahead.

[EvertonFC]

Not sure Matt Booty deserved a promotion, hasn`t he been part of the problem?

[darthv72]

^^Not to worry there FC... Bond will slap that Booty and get things done.

[Obscure_Observer]

@EvertonFC

"Not sure Matt Booty deserved a promotion, hasn`t he been part of the problem?"

Matt has been doing a great job at XGS. The only Xbox game that failed at launch in the current generation of Xbox Series consoles is Redfall which wasn´t under his supervision.

That´s one of the reasons he´s getting promoted, because from now on, all of the new games from Zenimax studios will be under his leadership and supervision now that Pete Hines is gone.

[Godmars290]

@EvertonFC:
MS management has been Xbox's problem since the console's inception.

@Obscure_Observer:
How hasn't every major Xbox title, with the possible exception of Forza - and remember, talking about a racing game, someone as simple to do as tic-tac-toe - has required massive reworking and reinvestment? Hasn't had a preview which then caused a delay?

[Obscure_Observer]

@Godmars290

"How hasn't every major Xbox title, with the possible exception of Forza - and remember, talking about a racing game, someone as simple to do as tic-tac-toe - has required massive reworking and reinvestment? Hasn't had a preview which then caused a delay?"

No sure if you were trying to make a point or a question, dude. Sorry.

[Barlos]

I'm surprised your name wasn't there with a big ass promotion, with all the shilling you've been doing recently.

[crazyCoconuts]

@barlos, I mean, technically we don't know that it wasn't...

[Godmars290]

Well, seeing how you failed to reply to my statement as if a question, you've only proven my point.

[LOGICWINS]

So happy for Sarah! She deserves it! We need someone with fresh ideas at the helm of Xbox.

[darthv72]

...and she will be the one doing the interviews now. No more 'Spencer Speaks' it will be 'Bond Babbles'

that's actually pretty funny.

[LOGICWINS]

"Bond Babbles"

🤣

[AzurePaladin77]

How about "Bond Banters".

[Lightning77]

IMO they don't need fresh ideas they just need to continue the output of 1st party games year in and year out.

[shadowT]

Goodbye Phil! Sarah will be a good new leader of the Xbox team.

[darthv72]

He's still the head of Xbox.

Cue the Jefferson theme: move'n on up... to the deluxe [CEO] office in the sky.

[oof46]

Fish don't fry in kitchen...

[crazyCoconuts]

Phil is still the boss, right? CEO of Gaming

[Asplundh]

Unfortunately

[crazyCoconuts]

This AI stuff is encouraging. ChatGPT will certainly write a better plot for the next Halo...

[CrimsonWing69]

Man, that's the thing. I've seen AI do incredible voice work and I can see it actually writing stuff better than what we're getting now OR use AI and then people can tweak or add ideas.

[-Foxtrot]

I saw someone do an AI voice over in the RE4 Remake where they re-recorded Ada’s lines with an AI Sally Reid (the original Ada voice actress) and while not Oscar worthy, it sounded a hell of a lot better than Lily Gao

I’m totally against AI but it was cool to hear I’ll admit

[raWfodog]

I'm so against the proliferation of AI and how people are becoming dependent on it. I can't help but feel it will be detrimental to the masses, much like social media.

[crazyCoconuts]

I mean none of it is truly artificial intelligence so I don't know how worried I'd be about it. True that people could be tricked into thinking something is real when it's not and that's a concern

[raWfodog]

@crazy
The thing that worries me most about it is that are actively trying to ‘improve’ AI in an ongoing effort to make it smarter and turing-passable. The vocal and visual deep fakes now are already scary and you just that people will fall for these scams and it will cause more problems in society.

[Barlos]

Yup, I feel the same tbh. I think the reliance on AI is taking away genuine creativity.

[RhinoGamer88]

Good for those promoted, but it is sad that those Executives who have underperformed over the last five years are still employed. #accountability

[Lightning77]

The past 5 years they've bought studios and have been in development since.

[Petebloodyonion]

Somehow with the ABK case behind I expect MS to become aggressive in term of promotions and annoucement.

[Wikkid666]

LOL.... it's been 2 weeks.

[Petebloodyonion]

Yes and funny enough Ms been redoing lots of ads, something that MS wasn't doing when they wanted to look weak
https://www.neowin.net/news...

https://www.gamespot.com/ar...

[Seraphim]

more like removing redundancies. You don't need a marketing team at ABK anymore, you don't this, that, and a whole lot of other things either. I doubt there will be many, or anymore important promotions anytime soon.

[Barlos]

AI becoming more prolific? No thanks. I'm out.

[darthv72]

don't worry... you were never in.

ba-dum-tssss

[Barlos]

Ooh er!

[neomahi]

........ Liberals. It's about public image, not necessarily those qualified. Regardless, it'll be Xbox watching what PlayStation does and then mimicing that. They're Studio Heads but it's just a fancy title. Phil Spencer is still calling all the shots and dictating orders and he's getting orders from above him. Social Engineering is still going to play heavily into their business strategy.

They all present their sympathy with regards to woke topics, but have they addressed anything going on in the world right now in the Middle East? No.... But they'll address everything else. PlayStation is the same way and it's pathetic.

I'm not by any means implying that women in leadership roles is bad, but I can see clearly, perfectly, what's going on here and the final statement made that once Bobby Kotick departs Activision to run PlayStation (I'm kidding.....) there will be more females than males in leadership........ REALLY? Ergh........ That's why you're always dead last Xbox. Always cheering for the wrong side .....

[darthv72]

You sound extremely triggered by this....
You have my pitty.

[anast]

HA! They a preparing for an unprecedent amount of mobile shovelware.

[hiroyukisanada]

I just KNEW darth and obscure would be the first two to comment 🤣

[marioJP87]

Try to actually compete with PS5 now. Competition is healthy for the gamers!!!

[SpoonyBlueMage]

It leans more on art style and direction than graphical fidelity