Whispers started flying after Call of Duty leaker TheGhostOfHope claimed Spencer would bow out after the next Xbox generation launches. Insider Gaming chimed in claiming it had heard similar rumours.
But Xbox comms boss Kari Perez told The Verge: "Phil is not retiring anytime soon." Not exactly watertight, but close enough for now.
Microsoft PR overlord Frank Shaw accused Insider Gaming of making the whole thing up: "So long as by 'summed it up' you mean 'made it up.'"
Spencer’s gaming group just took a serious kicking in Microsoft’s latest bloodletting, with a wave of cancellations and studio closures.
Among the casualties was the MMO at ZeniMax Online, the already cursed Everwild at Rare, and the stillborn Perfect Dark reboot. The Initiative, the studio meant to revive Perfect Dark, has been shut down entirely.
This all comes despite Microsoft raking in $25.8 billion in net income last quarter. Spencer defended the carnage by saying the company’s financial success came from making these sorts of “tough decisions.”
Phil might not be retiring now, but he’s clearly still got a few more redundancy templates to send before he hangs up his Halo helmet.