Phil Spencer on Xbox leaks: "So much has changed"
Court orders all documents taken offline after Microsoft inadvertently reveals non-public information about its plans
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has responded to the leaks that saw a swathe of information about Microsoft's future games plans, which were intended for a US court, made available to the public.
Posting on social media, the Xbox boss emphasised that the information included in these documents was outdated. An email in which he discusses acquiring Nintendo, for example, was from 2020.
"We've seen the conversation around old emails and documents," Spencer wrote on X. "It is hard to see our team's work shared in this way because so much has changed and there's so much to be excited about right now, and in the future.
"We will share the real plans when we are ready."
The documents were originally exhibits from Microsoft's legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission regarding the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. They were supposed to be submitted to the court via a secure cloud link, but ended up on a publicly accessible court website.
Leaked plans include Microsoft targeting 2028 for its next Xbox console, full details of two mid-generation refreshes for Xbox Series X and S that are expected to launch next year, a hybrid cloud gaming platform due to launch by 2028, Bethesda's future line-up of games, and Spencer's ambition to acquire Nintendo.
It was initially believed that the Federal Trade Commission had accidentally leaked these documents, but the regulator's director of public affairs Douglas Farrar stated on X that the FTC "was not responsible for uploading Microsoft's plans for its games and consoles to the court website."
Farrar also shared a court order signed by Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, who has been overseeing this case, confirming Microsoft provided the link on September 14.
She added that after both Microsoft and the FTC informed the court that these documents included non-public information, these exhibits have now been removed.
Both companies are due to resubmit any exhibits via a secure cloud link by September 22.
"The parties shall simultaneously file a written certification signed by all parties, and non-parties whose information is contained in the admitted trial exhibits, verifying they have reviewed the exhibits and certify they contain only public information in accordance with the Court's orders," Corley wrote.
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