Craig Duncan Appointed Head of Xbox Game Studios

After just one year at the helm of Xbox Game Studios, Alan Hartman is stepping down. His responsibilities will be taken over by Craig Duncan, who previously led Rare.

Craig Duncan is the new head of Xbox Game Studios, taking over from Alan Hartman, who is retiring after more than 30 years at Microsoft. The change in leadership comes less than a year after Hartman took over, following the promotion of Matt Booty to an expanded role.

Craig Duncan is currently head of UK studio Rare, the studio behind Sea of Thieves (over 40 million players) and upcoming title Everwild. Joe Neate and Jim Horth will take over the leadership of Rare. Duncan joined the Xbox team in 2011 to lead Rare. He previously worked at Codemasters, Midway Games and Sumo Digital.

The Verge has obtained the internal email announcement from Matt Booty (Xbox Game Content and Studios President). An excerpt: "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. Craig will report to me and join the Game Content and Studios leadership team, working closely with Alan during the transition. The existing XGS leadership team Alan established will remain intact and report to Craig."