Alan Hartman becomes new head of Xbox Game Studios: look back at his nearly 30-year game dev career
Microsoft has named the new head of Xbox Game Studios following a recent reorganization of its gaming segment. Here is everything to know about Alan Hartman, a veteran manager and head of the Forza franchise.
Alan Hartman (right), Image credit: Inside Sim Racing
As user Idle Sloth spotted on X (former Twitter), Alan Hartman announced his promotion on LinkedIn earlier this week. “Thrilled to be representing such an elite set of game creators in my new role leading Xbox Game Studios!” he wrote.
Who is Alan Hartman?
UPDATE (October 15, 2024): This section has been updated to add information about Hartman’s retirement.
- Hartman joined Microsoft in 1988 as a contractor in the CD-ROM group. In 1995, he became an executive producer at Dreamworks Interactive, contributing to games like Chaos Island: The Lost World — Jurassic Park, Goosebumps Attack of the Mutant, and Trespasser.
- According to MobyGames, Hartman was also credited on Skullmonkeys, Close Combat III: The Russian Front, Urban Assault, and Age of Empires II.
- In 2001, he joined Digital Anvil, a studio that was acquired by Microsoft at the end of 2000. As a studio manager, Hartman worked on space combat sim Freelance and third-person action game Brute Force.
- After Microsoft disbanded Digital Anvil, he became studio manager and then head of Turn 10 Studios, the in-house Xbox team known for the Forza Motorsport series. Since 2005, Hartman has been overseeing the development of all titles and the ForzaTech engine.
- In September 2021, he was appointed corporate VP of both Forza and Fable, an upcoming reboot of the acclaimed Xbox IP being developed by Forza Horizon maker Playground Games.
- On October 14, 2024, Hartman announced his retirement, with Rare executive Craig Duncan taking over his role as head of Xbox Game Studios.
Overall, Hartman spent more than 18 years at Microsoft, contributing to the development of the company’s gaming business. He will succeed Matt Booty, who led Xbox Game Studios for nearly six years.
Last month, shortly after Microsoft completed its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer announced a reorganization of Xbox leadership to help the company achieve its goal of creating an “expanded gaming content organization” and better managing its first-party studios.
As a result, Booty was promoted to president of Game Content and Studios. He will oversee the work of ZeniMax’s subsidiaries like Bethesda, Arkane, and id Software. Sarah Bond became president of Xbox, and Dave McCarthy became chief operating officer of Microsoft Gaming.
