Phil Spencer named head of Xbox, promises games

Microsoft has revealed Phil Spencer as the new boss of Xbox, and he's promising a renewed focus on games.

Spencer will leave his position as chief of Microsoft Studios to take over Xbox, Xbox Live and creative teams such as Xbox Music, Xbox Video and Microsoft Studios.

The announcement should give Xbox gamers cause for optimism, as Spencer is very much seen as a "games guy" within the industry.

The Xbox One was announced ten months ago as a machine that would bring entertainment and TV features to the console, while games appeared to be secondary.

That could be set to change now though, as Spencer is hoping to make the Xbox One the destination of choice for the core gamer.

"I look at gaming as a first-class citizen inside this company," he told Kotaku earlier today.

"[We want to] make sure we're completely focused on that gaming customer, that core gaming fan. Making sure of that, that's what I'm going to bring to this position is a focus on gaming for Xbox One.

"The entertainment features that we have on Xbox One are important, but those can't come at a cost for what we do for the core gamer."

He's remaining quiet on what Microsoft has in store for us at E3 this June, but he does say there's an "incredibly strong" line-up of sequels and new IP.

Spencer is also very active on Twitter, where he's often responding directly to questions from fans.

Microsoft will be hoping Spencer's new position can boost sales of the Xbox One, which have been impressive but continue to lag behind the PlayStation 4.