Rare's, Craig Duncan, Promoted to Head of Xbox Game Studios

Alan Hartman, head of Xbox Game Studios, will retire at the end of November, with Craig Duncan, the current leader of Rare, stepping in as his successor. Hartman is recognized for founding Turn 10 in 2005, the studio behind the successful Forza franchise. He took over leadership of Xbox Game Studios last year and has contributed to popular Microsoft franchises like Age of Empires and Fable during his 36-year career in the gaming industry.

Craig Duncan has been at the helm of Rare for nearly 14 years, overseeing the development of Kinect titles and the launch of the live service game Sea of Thieves, which has attracted over 40 million players since its debut in 2018. In September, Duncan attended the 2024 GamesIndustry.biz Best Places to Work Awards, where Rare won three awards.

Before joining Rare, Duncan held various leadership roles at companies such as Sumo Digital, Midway, and Codemasters. He is also the Vice President of the charity SpecialEffect.

In his new role, Duncan will oversee multiple Xbox teams, including Halo Studios, The Coalition, Turn 10, Playground Games, Rare, Obsidian, Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games, The Initiative, Double Fine, InXile, Undead Labs, and World's Edge. He will report to Matt Booty, the president of Game Content and Studios.

Replacing Duncan at Rare will be Joe Neate and Jim Horth. Neate has been with Rare since 2013 and served as the executive producer for Sea of Thieves. He previously held senior positions at Sumo Digital and Midway. Horth, who has spent over 20 years at Rare, has held various roles and was most recently the studio director.

In an email to staff, Booty praised Hartman's career, highlighting his commitment to innovation and his significant impact on gaming. He noted Hartman's journey from a contractor in Microsoft's early CD-ROM group in 1988 to leading projects like Age of Empires, Brute Force, and the founding of Turn 10. Under Hartman’s leadership, Turn 10 and Playground Games developed 13 Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon games, establishing Forza as a leading racing franchise while pushing hardware capabilities. Booty commended Hartman's efforts to advance accessibility in gaming, setting a standard for the industry, and noted the successful releases from Xbox Game Studios this year, with upcoming titles like Avowed, South of Midnight, and Fable on the horizon.

Hartman expressed his gratitude in a LinkedIn post, stating, “Being a Studio Head in Gaming is one of the most rewarding and challenging roles in entertainment. 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.” He also conveyed his excitement for upcoming projects, saying, “I am proud of what we have accomplished together and I am excited by what we have in the pipeline! 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.”

Booty concluded by stating that in his new role, Craig will focus on helping the studios deliver high-quality, unique gaming experiences that can evolve into successful franchises and reach a broader audience through investments in new intellectual properties.