XboxPhil Spencer, whose official title is CEO of Microsoft Gaming, was asked about his favorite games in a recent interview with Famitsu, and two of those titles were Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. While some fans criticize his latest choice, given that he's the head of Xbox, it's a fairly common response in Game of the Year debates.
Speaking of which, fans can expect Game of the Year debates to pick up even more steam in the coming months. The Game Awards take place on December 11th and often serve as the heart of these discussions. Fans can expect the nominees to be announced before that date, but even now the debate often points to games like Hollow Knight: SilksongClair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2, Hades 2or Split Fiction.
Of course, Spencer doesn't actively participate in these debates, but his answers seem to reflect what the “average” gamer might say. For example, even as the debate rages on, Expedition 33 is probably the leading player in the GOTY series. According to Famitsu, Spencer put Microsoft games on hold to say Hollow Knight: Silksong, Expedition 33, Ninja Gaiden: Rageboundand Death Stranding 2. Of these four titles Spencer also believed Expedition 33 as his play of the year from the bunch. Spencer emphasized that the return of games from Microsoft to the equation Oblivion Remastered and DOOM: The Dark Ages as some of his favorite games of the year.
The best games of 2025 (by Phil Spencer)
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Expedition 33
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Hollow Knight: Silksong
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Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
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Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
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Oblivion Remastered
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DOOM: The Dark Ages
Spencer's response, while innocuous in itself, reflects a changing industry. Over the past year, several Xbox games have come to the PS5 with a PS5 version Halo: Combat Evolved also said to be announced soon. Xbox president Sarah Bond also recently stated that exclusives were “outdated for most people”. Some fans may disagree, and the reasons are not as clear-cut, but the talk is matched by the walk.
SCOOP: Over the past two years, Microsoft has been pushing Xbox to achieve a 30% profit margin, an ambitious goal that is much higher than the industry average. This pursuit of profit led Xbox to raise prices, cut thousands of jobs and rethink everything. Story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article… — Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) 2025-10-23T11:02:14.614Z
Bloomberg's Jason Schreier recently reported that “Microsoft has been pushing Xbox for a 30% profit margin over the past two years, which likely explains the move away from exclusivity, among other industry events. Still, it's worth noting that this is an innocent question with an innocent answer.” Death Stranding 2 is a fantastic game that deserves to be in any GOTY talks.
