Microsoft has posted a short video featuring Phil Spencer, the new head of its Xbox division, in which he runs down his career at Microsoft and what motivates him.
In his 26 years at Microsoft, Spencer has moved up from being a 20-year-old software development intern to the top spot in what is arguably one of the company's most important divisions. The reason he said he has stayed so long is the capabilities the company brings to the table and what it strives to accomplish.
"Fundamentally, [Microsoft] is a company that wants to do things that change the world. And they have the resources and the ambition to do that. Whether it's with Xbox or any of the products that we build," he said.
While Spencer did not give any hints at what the company is working on, he did say that the desire to make Microsoft the best gaming company in the world is not just his desire, but also that of its new CEO Satya Nadella.
"We have the ambition to build the best gaming console for fans. The gaming console plays the best games, has the best entertainment...and to be in a company that has the resource, the ambition, and the drive to make that happen, it's incredibly motivating for someone like me," he said.
The other driving force to create excellence for Spencer is that he is a gamer.
In the video he says some of his favorite games that he was a part of are "Fable" and "Rise of Nations." However, his favorite game, that he also worked on, is not one that would come readily to mind. "Voodoo Vince - Feel His Pain" is Spencer's favorite, he said, because it is the first game he played all the way through with his daughters.
Some of the more memorable moments Spencer relived to Xbox Live's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb were the launch of Kinect and the original Xbox, but at the top was bringing out Xbox Live.
"The Xbox Live launch was monumental for me. We really did not know that the Xbox Live was going to turn into what it turned into today," he said.
Xbox Live's development is also having an impact on how Spencer intends to run his division. He said he was always impressed how the game creators, console and platform teams worked together.
"This is really what I am striving for now, and bringing all those teams together to create those magical moments where the creators are impacting on the platform and the platform is pushing on the creators. It is a unique capability we have," he said.
Here is the video:
