Phil Spencer On the Activision Deal, Xbox's Plans & AI in Video Games

Xbox head Phil Spencer has recently visited Xbox On's Charleyy Hodson for an in-depth interview, during which he discussed various topics, including the Xbox's plans, the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the industry, and, of course, Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

In late January, Xbox announced that it will be holding its games showcase in June 2023 where it is going to share "even more of what is next for [its] fans." According to Spencer, the team is now really busy preparing for the event and it is now the firm's main focus which apparently means that players should not expect some major announcement before this time.

However, he noted that there still will be some "Goldeneye-type announcements," referring to the launch of the classic shooter remaster which was released on Xbox in late January.

Speaking of the Activision deal and Call of Duty availability on various platforms, the Xbox boss once again noted that Microsoft was never planning to remove the shooter series from rival consoles stating that "it was never about that." According to him, Xbox's main priority is to create a platform that can connect with gamers across all devices, and the deal is primarily centered around expanding into the mobile space, rather than being focused on Call of Duty.

"So for us, the logic really started from how do we gain more capability on mobile, both creatively as well as having users," Spencer said. "The real strategic angle behind this was we need to get relevant on mobile. And it turns out that Activision Blizzard King is the largest mobile publisher outside of China."

Returning to the topic of Call of Duty and its exclusivity, Spencer affirmed that Microsoft aims to deliver "the best version of Call of Duty for any player on any of those platforms," emphasizing that Xbox will not have exclusive skins or weapons for Call of Duty, as the game will be the same across all platforms.

At the end of the interview, Spencer also discussed the potential impact of AI on video games saying that the Xbox teams are currently working on implementing these technologies into their games. According to him, "the intersection of AI and gaming has always been there" and now, as the capabilities of AI are growing, the technology will certainly impact the video game industry.

"[AI] absolutely will play a role in video games, [it] always has. And I get excited about some of the work that the team's doing. It gives them more of a canvas and whether it was simulated physics, whether it was 3D-rendering, whether it was great audio technology," Spencer said. "Our creators are now spending a lot of time with AI engineers and thinking about how this can be an additive, positive force in the games we're building,"

You can watch the full interview above or on the Xbox On YouTube channel. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform, our Reddit page, and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.