Well I guess that puts to bed rumours that Microsoft might sell off the Xbox brand. The software giant has announced that the future of the Xbox brand will be handled by long time Microsoft employee and previous Head of Microsoft studios Phil Spencer. He'll not only be taking the reigns though, but will oversee all Xbox creative teams, including Xbox Music, Xbox Video and Microsoft Studios. He's the top dog on a big pile now.
"Combining these teams will strengthen the connection between some of the world's most innovative creators and those building the Xbox itself," Spencer said (via Eurogamer).
Spencer inherits the Xbox brand at a pretty strong time, as the Xbox One is selling better than the Xbox 360 ever did at this stage. However the One has much more of a legacy to build off of, and it is being outsold by Sony's hardware, so it has some catching up to do.
While it's not clear what direction - if a new one - Spencer will take Xbox, the combination of the different divisions is perhaps telling. Microsoft could be looking to do a lot more crossover material with its first party offerings. We know about certain TV shows in production, but Microsoft could easily expand those to do duel releases of media content alongside gaming or even throw up soundtracks through the Xbox Music platform.
Spencer has clearly taken notes on Don Mattrick's PR failings last year though, as he's keen to move forward and forget the big Xbox One reveal gaffs that dogged its release and still do to some extent.
"We've taken feedback, made our products better and renewed our focus on what is most important, our customer. Our mission is to build a world-class team, work hard to meet the high expectations of a passionate fan base, create the best games and entertainment and drive technical innovation," he said.
What do you guys think of the news? Is it good for Xbox? Good for Microsoft? Let us know below.