The Metaverse Is a 'Poorly Built Video Game' Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Says

Xbox boss Phil Spencer is not impressed by the metaverse as it is currently.

Spencer is at WSJ Live taking questions and was asked about his thoughts on the metaverse. As reported by The Verge’s Tom Warren, Spencer was critical of the version of the metaverse that currently exists.

“Today it’s a poorly built video game. Building a metaverse that’s like a living room is not how I want to spend my time.” However, Spencer adds that it’s early days and that “this will evolve.”

Phil Spencer at WSJ Live on the metaverse:

“Today it’s a poorly built video game. Building a metaverse that’s like a living room is not how I want to spend my time. What I see in the metaverse world is that we’re at the early stage and this will evolve.”

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) October 26, 2022

The metaverse is the hot buzzword of the year with Meta (formerly Facebook) the company championing it the hardest. However, Spencer’s comments about a living room could be a veiled jab at Meta which is positioning the metaverse as a business tool where employees can take meetings in the metaverse.

The definition of a metaverse is still hazy too as Fortnite is considered a metaverse, where folks can bring in multiple characters and properties together into a single shared world.

While there’s no indication that Xbox is pursuing a metaverse strategy, we can expect the question to linger as companies like Meta continue to pour resources into the metaverse, despite the recent bad press the company has suffered on growing out this ambition.

Elsewhere in the WSJ Live, Spencer commented on Xbox’s seemingly shelved streaming device as well as the future of Call of Duty.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.