Xbox boss praises brave devs for making games amid 'cancel culture'

There’s a lot of pressure on Xbox to deliver this year after the company failed to really compete with PlayStation and Nintendo in 2022. Xbox barely featured at The Game Awards after their yearly release slate lacked any big-hitters. There’s far more potential to be found in 2023’s releases, but Microsoft boss Phil Spencer isn’t doing the company any favours with his latest comment.

This year will see Xbox finally release Starfield which I’m imagining has the potential to be a 2023 GOTY contender. Redfall is also on the way, and I know a few people who are pretty excited about that. It’s early days, but it could be a return to form for Xbox. The only problem is, Phil Spencer is killing the mood by congratulating developers for ignoring ‘cancel culture.’

Take a look at some gameplay from Starfield below.

As reported by Kotaku, Microsoft boss Phil Spencer recently appeared at the New York Game Awards to accept the Andrew Yoon Legend Award. During his acceptance speech, Spencer touched on the impact of cancel culture on the games industry. “As world builders our greatest responsibility is to inspire and invite joy,” Spencer said. “It feels like today seeking joy is an act of defiance.”

“We, all of us here today, all of our teams around the globe, we are all a part of creating this echo effect of joy. Our creators who bravely and intentionally release their visions to the world, particularly in the current culture of criticism and cancellation,” he continued. “Our players who bravely and intentionally carve out time for our games to invite, rest, and rejuvenate their lives; and business leaders. We are called upon to have the courage to protect and nurture this collective joy.”

The problem is, there’s a powerful wave of criticism right now in regards to Hogwarts Legacy. Due to author JK Rowling’s transphobic comments, many fans have chosen to boycott both the game and franchise. Spencer’s comments almost disregard this justified sentiment, and I imagine plenty of people will be making that point.