"I'm proud to say we delivered": Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan departs alongside chief of staff, read his message to Microsoft devs

A photograph of Craig Duncan, who served as Rare's studio lead until he became head of Xbox Game Studios in late 2024.

Just over 18 months after the head of Xbox developer Rare, Craig Duncan, stepped up to lead Microsoft's game publishing wing as head of Xbox Game Studios, he's now stepping down from the position.

The news comes from a new report from The Game Business, which learned of Duncan's departure after getting access to an email sent internally to staff. He plans to leave Xbox Game Studios this week, with Xbox's chief content officer Matt Booty overseeing its developers in the interim while Microsoft searches for a replacement.