Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra has rallied around Xbox boss Phil Spencer following Microsoft’s shock decision to close four of its game studios – including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks – saying, “I know this hurts him as much as anyone else.”
Ybarra made the comments on Twitter/X amid widespread condemnation of Microsoft’s move and as anger over the closures continued to grow. “I see a lot of shots at Phil over today’s Xbox announcements,” he wrote on social media. “I get it. But knowing him as a human, I know this hurts him as much as anyone else. I can’t speak for all of the leadership there, but I do know him and I do know what he is likely going through.”
“I’m not trying to defend the decisions,” Ybarra continued. “I think we all get ourselves into situations that are tough and unexpected (certainly I have). It’s part of the job, as is the accountability for the outcomes. But he’s a good human and he cares deeply for the creative process and developers. That’s my first hand experience in working closely with him for 8+ years and knowing him for 24+.”
“I 100 percent understand the anger and confusion,” he added, “and I feel deeply sorry for those teams impacted today and over the last few months. I didn’t agree with every decision he made at Xbox, and I think that was pretty clear, but I do believe in his product leadership and I know how hard these decisions can be.