Turn 10 Studios and Forza boss Alan Hartman is the new head of Xbox Game Studios
Big promotion.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
What you need to know
There’s a new head honcho over at Xbox Game Studios.
The collection of 15 different development studios is now being led by Alan Hartman, the former vice president of the Forza and Fable franchises, who shared the news viaLinkedIn.
“Thrilled to be representing such an elite set of game creators in my new role leading Xbox Game Studios!” Harman said when announcing his promotion.
Hartman served as studio head ofForza Motorsportdeveloper since 2005, overseeing the regular game releases and the team’s stewardship of the ForzaTech engine, which is shared with Forza Horizon developer Playground Games. The team at Playground Games is also using ForzaTech to power the upcomingFablereboot.
What will Alan Hartman be in charge of?
Being head of Xbox Game Studios, Hartman is now overseeing not just Turn 10 Studios, but the other 14 studios underneath the Xbox Game Studios publishing label. This includes 343 Industries, Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory, Obsidian Entertainment, and others.
What about Matt Booty?
Matt Booty was the head of Xbox Game Studios for several years, overseeing the publisher during Microsoft’s aggressive expansion phase.Booty was recently promoted to president of Game Content and Studios, meaning he’s in charge of both Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks, the second Xbox first-party publisher that’s under ZeniMax Media.
Analysis: A solid pick
-Best Xbox headsets to get in 2023-Best upcoming Xbox games-Best gaming laptops in 2023-Best Xbox controller deals-Best Xbox hard drives
Turn 10 Studios has operated efficiently for some time, so this seems like a reliable pick for Booty’s replacement. It’ll be interesting to see how or even if Hartman’s management style differs from that of Booty, but it’ll also probably take a long while for any differences to be noticeable.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
With both Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks reporting to Booty now, I’m hoping to see even more collaboration in the future, with development teams supporting each other’s projects, as well as sharing ideas and technology.
Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.
