Microsoft’s first-party portfolio is seeing some changes in leadership. Alan Hartman – who was previously he head of Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios – was appointed the head of Xbox Game Studios last November, though it’s now been reported (via GamesIndustry), that Hartman is set to retire.
With Hartman stepping down from his role, he will be replaced by Craig Duncan, the head of Rare, with his new position seeing him oversee all first-party Xbox studios outside of Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, including the likes of Halo Studios, The Coalition, Rare, Turn 10 Studios, Playground Games, The Initiative, Double Fine Productions, and more.
Meanwhile, Duncan is going to be replaced by Sea of Thieves executive producer Joe Neate and studio director Jim Horth as the new leads of Rare.
Matt Booty – who is the president of studios and game content at Xbox – confirmed the news in an internal email sent to all staff.
“Alan’s career has been marked by innovation, dedication, and an unwavering passion for gaming,” the email reads. “Starting as a contractor at Microsoft in the fledgling CD-ROM group in 1988, Alan has worked on a variety of projects in his time here, from Age of Empires, to Brute Force as the studio head of Digital Anvil, to the founding of Turn 10.
“Over the years, Alan, Turn 10, and Playground Games delivered 13 Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon games, building Forza into one of the top racing franchises in the world and regularly pushing the capabilities of our hardware. His work to advance accessibility in gaming has set a benchmark for the industry and under his leadership, Xbox Game Studios has shipped multiple critically acclaimed titles this year and set the stage for highly anticipated games like Avowed, South of Midnight, Fable, and more.”
“In his new role, Craig will continue to focus on helping our studios deliver high-quality, differentiated game experiences that can grow into successful franchises and reach more players by investing in new IP,” he added.
Microsoft has a number of first-party titles lined up for release in 2025, including the aforementioned Fable, South of Midnight, and Avowed, while leaks have claimed Gears of War: E-Day could also launch next year. Outside of the Xbox Game Studios lineup, first-party titles such as DOOM: The Dark Ages and the next Call of Duty will also release in 2025.
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