Xbox Game Studios Chief Alan Hartman to Retire, Rare’s Craig Duncan Set as Replacement

variety.com:

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Xbox Games Studios head Alan Hartman is stepping down from his post after more than three decades working at parent company Microsoft.

Following Hartman’s retirement, Craig Duncan, chief of Xbox’s studio Rare, will take over the position. “Alan’s career has been marked by innovation, dedication, and an unwavering passion for gaming,” Xbox Game Content and Studios president Matt Booty said in a memo to staff Monday. “Starting as a contractor at Microsoft in the fledgling CD-ROM group in 1988, Alan has worked on a variety of projects in his time here, from Age of Empires, to Brute Force as the studio head of Digital Anvil, to the founding of Turn 10.

Over the years, Alan, Turn 10 and Playground Games delivered 13 Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon games, building Forza into one of the top racing franchises in the world and regularly pushing the capabilities of our hardware.

His work to advance accessibility in gaming has set a benchmark for the industry and under his leadership, Xbox Game Studios has shipped multiple critically acclaimed titles this year and set the stage for highly anticipated games like Avowed, South of Midnight, Fable, and more.” With Duncan moving into the top Xbox Game Studios slot, Joe Neate and Jim Horth will take over as co-leads of Rare. “In his new role, Craig will continue to focus on helping our studios deliver high-quality, differentiated game experiences that can grow into successful franchises and reach more players by investing in new IP,” Booty said. “Craig will report to me and join the Game Content and Studios leadership team, working closely with Alan during the transition.