Rare boss Craig Duncan has been promoted to head of Xbox Game Studios.
Duncan, who’s ledRarefor nearly 14 years, will replaceAlan Hartman, who wasappointed Xbox’s studios boss just last year, after previously leadingForzastudioTurn 10.
According toGI.biz, Hartman will retire fromMicrosoftat the end of November, and will be replaced by Rare’s Duncan.
Duncan joined Rare during the Kinect era, and oversaw the launch of live service hitSea of Thieves. Before that, he held roles atSumo Digital, Midway, andCodemasters.
His new role will see him overseeXboxteams includingHalo Studios,The Coalition, Turn 10,Playground Games, Rare,Obsidian,Ninja Theory,Compulsion Games,The Initiative,Double Fine,InXile,Undead Labs,World’s Edgeand more.
Following Duncan’s departure, Rare will be led by Joe Neate and Jim Hoth. Neate joined Rare in 2013, after similar stints at Midway and Sumo, and has led the Sea of Thieves project as executive producer. Horth is a 20-year Rare veteran and was most recently studio director.
“Alan’s career has been marked by innovation, dedication, and an unwavering passion for gaming,” Xbox’s president of game content and studios,Matt Booty, wrote to staff in an email.
“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 13Forza MotorsportandForza Horizongames, 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 likeAvowed,South of Midnight, Fable, and more.”
Booty added: “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.”
