The gaming landscape has been tough on Xbox lately. Ever since it lost its momentum with the Xbox One disastrous reveal, it struggles to keep up with PlayStation’s sales numbers. Then the last few years is not all sunshine and rainbows despite scoring two industry’s record acquisitions. Now fans have noticed Xbox head Phil Spencer’s health, saying he’s looking more worn down. As the familiar face and the powerhouse behind Microsoft‘s gaming division, Spencer has taken an intense workload– and it might’ve taken a visible toll too.
“Xbox ruined this man’s life,” wrote @jamessmokee perhaps in jest, as they compared photos taken in 2023 and this year.
“I was gonna make a joke about ‘running a business’ taking a toll, but man Phil Spencer does not look good,” wrote sympathetic @RGT_85. “Hope [he] is healthy and alright.”
Industry insider @GenePark added, “easy to joke about looks but i know all too well how that can change when you’re sick. hope he’s ok.”
“I don’t agree with some of the decisions he’s made over the past few years,” wrote by an account that mimics the famous Dragon Ball creator’s name, @AkiraToriyama. “But I still wish him the best.”
As mentioned above, Xbox has practically lag behind in the console race after the Xbox 360 era. The PS4 quickly overtook Xbox One’s sales by 2,5 then PS5 is estimated to have sold 3 times as much as Series X. In late 2023, the owner of Gears of War and Forza IP decided to stop reporting console sales because it ‘doesn’t show the overall picture.’
Meanwhile, the Big X has also faced difficult challenges in managing some of its ambitious acquisitions. Purchasing Activision Blizzard and Bethesda has brought quality releases and excitement among the playerbase. But it also led to turbulent times, including recent job cuts that hit studios under the Xbox umbrella. Even internal development team like 343 Industries, the crew behind Halo, saw complete studio makeover.
The P3 gamertag owner joined the company in 1988, starting as an intern. Phil Spencer joined the Xbox team in 2001 with the launch of the original bulky console. Sixteen years later, he became Executive Vice President of Gaming, reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella. In January 2022, as Microsoft announced its Activision Blizzard acquisition, Spencer was promoted to CEO of the gaming division.
Fans continue to root for Phil Spencer’s health while hoping he’s taking care of himself behind the scenes. Though, as it turns out, much of the speculation may be over nothing more than a few unflattering photos.
“[…] as per Jason Schreier he looks fine it’s just an unflattering photo,” wrote @HazzadorGamin.
“Dude is almost 60, I dont know why people think he looks ill,” @Al_194 replied.
“So many anons are in for a shock when they age and start looking different,” said @BattlesRyan.“The man is 56.”
It seems concerned gamers have just rang a false alarm. All things considered, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise he doesn’t look as vibrant and spry as a decade ago.
