'I've made some of the worst game choice decisions,' Xbox CEO Phil Spencer says

From Guitar Hero to Destiny, Xbox gaming CEO Phil Spencer recounts some of the missed opportunities for big publishing and partner deals for the Xbox brand.

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Like most hit-based industries, no one knows what games will actually do well. The interactive entertainment space is full of unknowns, but gaming leads to a distinct type of guesswork and hindsight-fueled rumination. Mega-hits can come out of nowhere thanks to viral social media or a unique hook, whether it be Halo with RPG elements (Destiny) or plastic guitars simulating a more complex game of Simon (Guitar Hero).

At PAX 2024, Xbox gaming CEO Phil Spencer gives us a rare look at what it's like to make these kinds of long-reaching decisions that a games executive not only has to make, but live with. Which games do you sign? Which companies do you make deals with? There's wins and then there's misses...and for Phil Spencer, there's been a few misses.

"I've passed on some of the...I've made some of the worst game choice decisions," Spencer said jokingly during the PAX interview.

He then goes on to recount how he didn't sign a publishing deal with Bungie to make Destiny--which is interesting given how Bungie spun out of Microsoft to gain its independence--and how he had totally misjudged the appeal of Guitar Hero.

Despite these pretty big misses, Spencer is optimistic on the current state of Xbox, and the future of the brand. Which is rightly so, considering Xbox has now secured a multitude of billion-dollar best-selling franchises from Fallout to Call of Duty.

"I've passed...I'm not a regrets type person, maybe that's a fault of mine, but I've passed on so many games that I could look back on and say...but now I try to look forward and be positive about the things we are doing."