Sea of Thieves co-creator becomes head of Xbox Game Studios: Rare chief promoted

Microsoft's gaming division has once again undergone a major personnel change.

Here's What We Know

From November, the position of head of Xbox Game Studios will take Craig Duncan - the head of Rare studio, known for the popular pirate action game Sea of Thieves.

He will be responsible for managing all of Microsoft's internal studios, including Rare, Halo Studios, The Coalition, Obsidian, Ninja Theory and other teams.

Craig Duncan's immediate boss, Xbox president of game content Matt Booty, commented on the appointment:

'In his new role, Craig will continue to help our studios create high-quality, diverse games that can grow into successful franchises and reach more players through investment in new intellectual property.

The current head of Xbox Game Studios, Alan Hartman, didn't last long in the position - he took over in November 2023 and will be leaving in a few weeks.

But the leadership of Rare will go to two experienced developers - Joe Neate and Jim Horth. They have been with the company for many years and are very familiar with all the workflows.

Source: Gamesindustry.biz