In the four years since being made the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer has overseen some of the most trying times for the brand. Inheriting a failed console launch that left Xbox trailing behind its main competition, Spencer began Xbox on the very long, very bumpy road to recovery and improvement, and according to Spencer, the walk down that road is far from over.

In his keynote address at the DICE Summit today, Spencer called on game developers and game publishers everywhere to address the lack of inclusivity rampant in the modern game industry. He urged these companies to do more in fixing the toxic environment gamers, particularly women and minorities, currently play in, going so far as to discuss how Xbox and himself have failed stating "We stand for inclusivity. I personally committed to do better"

Spencer discussed at great length his early days leading Xbox. "We needed a reboot," he said with regards to the companies performance and operation at the time, "We hadn’t done our best work with the launch of Xbox One. Market share was taking a nosedive. It was painful to read all the headlines. The team thought the leadership team had gone tone-deaf about what our customers expected from us.” Spencer's full keynote can be seen below in IGN's live stream.

Unfortunately, the concerns about the tone-deaf nature with which the Xbox One was launched weren't unwarranted. The lead up to and launch has become infamous for the choices made by Microsoft at the time. Besides the original controversy surrounding proposed DMR policies that would require the console be connected to the Internet once every 24 hours (plans that where ultimately abandon due to backlash), the decision to release the console bundled with a $100 Kinect ultimately lead to lower sales.

Spencer continued on to discuss the need for inclusivity for all gamers, citing the importance of creating worlds all can enjoy and feel represented by. Spencer also argues that games that fail to make gamers feel welcome will ultimately never truly find an audience.

“It is the only art form where you walk in someone’s shoes and you see the world from their eyes. It’s the only art form where you are on equal footing, regardless of age, education, socioeconomics, race, religion, politics, gender, orientation, ethnicity, nationality, or ability... This is why gaming can be one of the great equalizers and great unifiers for society. Together, we can make gaming a reflection of the world we don’t just want to see, but help change it into the world we want it to be.”

Spencer made a point to also highlight the failures of many publishers and developers to create inclusive environments within their own companies. Using Xbox as an example, Spencer reflected on the controversy regarding the 2016 Game Developers Conference party hosted by Xbox that featured woman dancing on platforms. Spencer stated that the "unequivocally wrong, unequivocally sexist, unequivocally intolerable choice" led to a severe and rightful backlash, but in absorbing the hit the company "bet on what we stood for... we don't tolerate any employee or partner that enables or offends others... we stand for inclusivity."

Xbox E3 Presintation 2016

The final point Spencer focused on concerns toxic gaming in online play. He addressed stories of gamers who chose to hide their race, gender, or sexuality out of fear of aggression and abuse from other players.

"The message of these episodes is this: 'you're not welcome here, and if you stick around, be ready to deal with any disturbing behavior that comes your way.' When toxicity is aimed at any of us, it needs to stop with all of us."

The issue of abuse online has become a huge topic of conversation in the industry as of late. Several major game companies such as Riot and Blizzard are taking action to reduce toxic behavior in games like Overwatch and League of Legends. Blizzard has gone as far as to investigate social media sites and youtube channels to find such behavior and have the associated accounts banned before complaints can even be laid.

In the end, it's important to remember that for the time being these are just words. While he didn't really give much in the way of details and concrete solutions to these difficult issues, gamers can only hope that Spencer and Xbox can and will actively serve as a start of further conversation and change in the industry. After all, having proven several times his respect for gaming, Spencer has gained the trust of many and if he is right then gaming has the ability to be "one of the great equalizers and unifiers for society."