Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Hasn’t Beaten Cuphead, But He’s Got a Reason

Cuphead is a hard game. Like, notoriously hard. But surely the people responsible for its exclusive release on Xbox One and PC can beat it, right? Phil Spencer: Big bad video game boss of Xbox and expert player of games, has yet to beat Cuphead.

Being the Grand Puba at Xbox grants one many favors, such as playing games ahead of release. In such a role, Spencer does actually get a head start on playing and mastering games before others. Talking to GameSpot at the Brazil Game Show, it was revealed that while he has beaten all the bosses ahead of launch, he hasn't completed the retail version of the game. But he has a good reason.

"I think I finished all of the bosses at one point before it launched. But no. I've been traveling for four weeks in a row so I haven't had much chance to play," Spencer said. "It is [an excuse]."

Work? Really Phil? That's your excuse? …Okay, that's actually fair. It's a bit hard to run a company and beat one of the hardest games in recent time. He did beat all the bosses pre-release, which is impressive in its own right.

On the topic of Cuphead, Spencer says it's selling "very well," although no exact numbers have been released. "I am so happy for the studio; they worked a long time on the game. And to have the success they're having–it's selling very well," he said. "The reaction has been great. It's just fantastic when those kind of things come together."

Cuphead had previously stuck in development for quite a long time, uncomfortably resting between fan excitement and fan anxiety awaiting its release. Thankfully, it seems the wait was worth it. Spencer stated that it may not exist as a finished product today if it wasn't for Microsoft's investment.

"The team had certain ambition about what they wanted to go do. And together with them we wanted to invest more," he said. "We saw more opportunity. And what that turned into was us having an exclusive game on our platform. That's a game that probably wouldn't have happened the way it did if we didn't invest the way we did."

Thankfully, the game is available on both Xbox and PC. Unfortunately for PlayStation 4 players, it seems it will never come to their console. The game has definitely been received well, with many players saying it was worth the wait.