Phil Spencer Regrets ‘Passing’ On Destiny and Guitar Hero

As a seasoned gaming enthusiast with decades of industry insights under my belt, I can empathize with Phil Spencer’s confessions about his past regrets. It’s always fascinating to look back and see what could have been, especially when it comes to missed opportunities like Destiny and Guitar Hero.

During a talk show at PAX West, Phil Spencer openly discussed his journey in the gaming industry, admitting some past decisions he wishes he hadn’t made. In ‘Phil Spencer’s Story Time’, the Xbox head admitted that he laments not acquiring games such as Destiny and Guitar Hero in the past.

‘The Worst Game-Choice Decisions’

At PAX West, Phil Spencer shared personal insights from over two decades in the gaming industry, recounting various stories throughout his presentation. Among other things, he disclosed during this timeframe:

I’ve passed on some of the worst… Like, made some of the worst game-choice decisions.

In other words, Spencer explained that Destiny wasn’t properly locked down on Xbox, thus missing out on an exclusive deal. He initially didn’t find it appealing when he played it. However, it took several months for him to appreciate Destiny, which was closely associated with Microsoft due to Bungie being part of their group at the time.

Later, he expressed his thoughts on abandoning the idea of Guitar Hero, as he felt the concept might not be successful.

One intriguing scenario unfolded when this team visited Redmond. Alex Rigopulos presented an idea for a game in which they would manufacture plastic guitars and connect them to consoles. The plan was to sell tracks where players could mimic Simon on these guitars, and I found myself questioning, will it truly succeed? Is such a concept viable?

Thanks to Eurogamer for the quotes

As a devoted gamer, I can’t help but share my excitement about two incredible games – Destiny and Guitar Hero – that found their way into my gaming collection, thanks to the wise choice of Activision as the publisher. These titles truly shone, reaching unprecedented heights of success. In 2009, Activision made headlines by declaring that Guitar Hero 3 was the highest-grossing game ever produced! When it hit the shelves, it outperformed heavyweights like Wii Fit and Black Ops in sales, leaving an indelible mark on gaming history.

In dollars and cents figures, it was claimed that Guitar Hero 3 grossed almost $1 billion.

In Phil Spencer’s words, ‘I heard that turned into a pretty good game…’

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