Craig Duncan to Take the Reins of Xbox Game Studios as Alan Hartman Announces Retirement

As of the end of November, Alan Hartman, the current head of Xbox Game Studios, will be retiring from his position, with Craig Duncan, the boss of Rare, taking over as his successor. Hartman is renowned for his contributions to the gaming industry, particularly for establishing Turn 10 in 2005, the studio behind the esteemed Forza franchise, and for his work on other notable Microsoft franchises such as Age of Empires and Fable during his extensive 36-year career. Duncan, who has been at the helm of Rare for nearly 14 years, will be stepping into this new role, bringing with him experience from overseeing the development of Kinect titles and the highly successful live service game Sea of Thieves, which has garnered over 40 million players since its launch in 2018. Prior to his tenure at Rare, Duncan held various development leadership roles at companies like Sumo Digital, Midway, and Codemasters, and he also serves as the VP of the charity SpecialEffect. In his new capacity, Duncan will oversee a broad spectrum of Xbox teams, including but not limited to Halo Studios, The Coalition, Turn 10, Playground Games, Rare, Obsidian, Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games, The Initiative, Double Fine, InXile, Undead Labs, and World's Edge, and will report directly to Matt Booty, the president of Game Content and Studios. Following Duncan's transition, Joe Neate and Jim Horth will jointly take over the leadership of Rare. Neate, who joined Rare in 2013, has been instrumental in the development of Sea of Thieves as its executive producer, while Horth has been an integral part of the Rare team for over two decades, holding multiple roles, most recently as studio director. In an email to staff, Booty praised Hartman's career, highlighting his innovation, dedication, and passion for gaming, and noted the significant impact Hartman has had on the industry, including his work on accessibility in gaming. Hartman, in a LinkedIn post, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to work with the talented teams across Xbox Game Studios and his excitement for the future projects in the pipeline, including Avowed, South of Midnight, Fable, and more, under Duncan's leadership. Booty also outlined Duncan's focus in his new role, which will be on supporting the studios in delivering high-quality, unique gaming experiences that can evolve into successful franchises and reach a broader audience by investing in new intellectual properties.