"Craig will continue to focus on helping our studios deliver high-quality, differentiated game experiences." Sea of Thieves studio boss Craig Duncan now in charge of Xbox Game Studios.

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Xbox Game Studios head Alan Hartman is retiring, with Rare's studio lead Craig Duncan taking up his mantle.

Sea of Thieves Flameheart's Burning Blade
Rare's Sea of Thieves has flourished, and the studio head is now in charge of Xbox Game Studios. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

What you need to know

  • Alan Hartman, head of Xbox Game Studios, is retiring almost a year after taking the role.
  • Rare studio head Craig Duncan is the new head of Xbox Game Studios, the brand encompassing the teams that make Halo, Gears of War, and more. 
  • Duncan's former role is being replaced by Joe Neate and Jim Horth, both Rare veterans that will co-manage the studio.

There's a passing of the torch happening over at Xbox. 

Alan Hartman, head of Xbox Game Studios, is retiring from Microsoft, as shared via GamesIndustry.biz on Monday. Hartman, formerly the boss of Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10, took the role as head of Xbox Game Studios almost a year ago, when he replaced former Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty, who was promoted to president of Content and Studios at Microsoft Gaming.

Xbox Game Studios is one of the multiple publishing labels making up Xbox under Microsoft Gaming, with the brand encompassing studios like Double Fine, Halo Studios, The Coalition, The Initiative, Ninja Theory, Rare, and others.

Replacing Hartman is Craig Duncan, studio head of Sea of Thieves developer Rare. Duncan is being replaced by Joe Neate and Jim Horth, who will co-manage Rare moving forward. 

"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," Booty wrote in a memo to Xbox staff.

Below, you can see a message Hartman wrote on LinkedIn:

"I was able to take a lifelong love of playing games and make it a career. From Age of Empires to Forza Motorsport I’ve been lucky to put my fingerprints across many games through the decades – leading the Forza franchise through all 13 releases and building two fantastic studios along the way. 

Being a Studio Head in Gaming is one of the most rewarding and challenging roles in entertainment. I believe it is the best job at Microsoft. I always knew we had immense talent across XGS, but I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy spending time with our studio leaders and their teams. It has been an honor to represent XGS, and I truly mean this - a pleasure getting to spend time with all of our studios. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and I am excited by what we have in the pipe! Avowed, Clockwork Revolution, Fable, Gears of War E-Day, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, South of Midnight, and many more announced and still to be announced games. I have so much anticipation and confidence in what all of our studios are creating and I am excited by what these teams will accomplish with Craig Duncan as the new Head of Xbox Game Studios."

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Samuel Tolbert
Samuel Tolbert
Freelance Writer

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.