After the massive leak which revealed the next Xbox consoles, among others, the boss of Microsoft’s gaming branch wanted to address his teams and players.
The start of the school year started particularly well for Xbox with Starfield. Even if Bethesda’s RPG was able to share, the reviews are positive and the success seems to be there. So far, so good, but that was before Microsoft’s massive leak this week. Suddenly, some of the manufacturer’s plans spread on the Internet. The damage has already been done, but Phil Spencer is now trying to put out the fire. Everything is old, move around, there is nothing to see.
Xbox’s counterattack after the leaks
This Tuesday, September 19, 2023 will definitely not be the best day experienced by Microsoft teams. Due to human error, numerous internal exchanges and confidential documents were made public. A massive leak which, for example, revealed the release of new Xbox Series, and a controller similar to that of the PS5, for 2024. After witnessing this leak, without being able to do anything, Phil Spencer spoke out on social media. According to him, the information displayed in broad daylight is no longer really relevant.
“We have seen discussions about old emails and documents. It’s hard to see our team’s work shared in this way, because so much has changed and there are so many reasons to be excited now and in the future. We will share the real plans when we are ready” said Spencer on X.
These emails and documents come from the trial between the Redmond firm and the American competition regulator (FTC) in the case of the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. But this historic leak, which also sheds light on the next generation of Xbox, is not due to a fault of the FTC. In an official letter, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, in charge of ruling on this dispute, indicated that Microsoft provided a link with this very sensitive, unmasked information.
A long memo to the teams, the best is yet to come
In addition to Phil Spencer’s tweet, the boss of the Xbox branch spoke directly to his teams. A memo that the media The Verge was able to consult and relay. In this long message, the manager apologizes half-heartedly and motivates his teams with a glimpse of the visibly bright future.
To the team,
Today, several documents submitted as part of the legal proceedings relating to our proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard were unintentionally disclosed. I know it’s disappointing, even though many of these documents are over a year old and our plans have since evolved.
I also know that we all take the confidentiality of our projects and the information of our partners very seriously. It is obvious that with this leak we are not meeting this expectation. We will learn from what happened and strive to improve in the future. We all put so much energy and passion into our work, and that’s not how we want it to be shared with the Xbox community. That being said, there is a lot to be excited about and when we are ready, we will share the real plans with our players.
In conclusion, I appreciate all the efforts you make on the Xbox team to surprise and delight our players. In the days and weeks ahead, let’s stay focused on what we can control. Continuing the incredible success of Starfield, the imminent launch of the incredible and accessible Forza Motorsport, and continuing to create games, services and devices for millions of players to enjoy.
Via The Verge.