Someone nuclear-bombed Phil Spencer's stuff in Fallout 76 as Microsoft nuked Bethesda studios

Too far? Nah.

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Key notes

  • Xbox boss Phil Spencer’s Fallout 76 camp was nuked,
  • Players shared their experiences, with some noting the camp’s red paint & showcasing flames.
  • Frustration with Spencer’s management is evident, especially following the recent closure of studios.

What happens when you bump into Phil Spencer, the boss of Xbox, on Fallout 76? Some would randomly chill and “ogle” him on the server, but others take things to another extreme: nuclear bomb his camp. 

Folks who had the encounter with the Xbox boss shared their experience on X. @Sam_Snydes spotted that Spencer’s camp, which goes by the username P3, is painted red, a sign that someone had nuked it. Another user @real1090jake took the claim, albeit unverified, showing that P3’s camp near Uncanny Caverns is lit ablaze and engulfed in flames.

Spencer is a big fan of the franchise. There’s no secret about that, as this isn’t the first in-game interaction with Xbox gamers. But ever since Microsoft nuked several Bethesda game development studios, folks on the internet are saying that the nuker was doing a public service.

After owning Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks for a little over three years, Microsoft closed these two studios, as well as mobile game maker Alpha Dog. 

Could this nuclear-bomb-dropping-on-an-Xbox-boss-camp-in-Fallout-76 happening send the right message? Maybe. But one thing for sure is that people have already been frustrated with Spencer as many people have lost their jobs and several studios have stopped making games for Xbox during his recent reign.

Ironically, in a report by Bloomberg, Tango was pitching a sequel to Hi-Fi Rush, its surprisingly successful 2023 release. And just a day after closing the Japanese studio down, Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios, said (via The Verge) that it needs “smaller games that give us prestige and awards.”

Ouch.

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