Xbox boss Phil Spencer knows he needs to find a successor for Xbox to thrive

Microsoft is encouraging Xbox boss Phil Spencer to think about a plan for his successor.

Earlier today on November 15, GQ published a new interview with Xbox boss Phil Spencer, reflecting back on the career of the 33-year Microsoft veteran. Considering Spencer has been at Microsoft and Xbox longer than the majority of people writing for this website have been alive, it's only natural that he's going to have to find a successor at some point.

"You should do it when you think about the long-term health of the team," Spencer said, when asked about finding a successor for role at the helm of Xbox. "To make sure the team is in a good place. That the culture of the company is in a good place. And that we’re making the right decisions on who to bet on. That has got to outlive me."

Spencer first joined Microsoft all the way back in 1988 as an intern, and would go on to earn a management position in Europe covering studios like Lionhead and Rare. In 2008, Spencer would become general manager of all studios owned by Microsoft, and would eventually become Xbox's corporate vice president a year later.

Most people have known Spencer since around 2014 however, less than a year on from the Xbox One launch, when he was tasked with leading everything to do with Xbox under Microsoft. Since then, we've seen Spencer lead Xbox on stages like E3, introducing the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S last year in 2020. Even with a succession plan going in place, it's highly unlikely Spencer's going anywhere anytime soon.

The new interview marks the 20th anniversary of the original Xbox's launch, today on November 15. Xbox is due to hold a special presentation celebrating the anniversary later today at 10:00 PT/13:00 ET/18:00 GMT, and rumors of Halo Infinite's multiplayer component staging a surprise launch during the showcase just won't go away.

For everything else Xbox has on the horizon, head over to our upcoming Xbox Series X games guide for more.