In an unexpected turn, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has retired from the company, and his successor, Sara Bond, the president of Xbox, has also left Microsoft. According to internal emails, Microsoft CoreAI president Asha Sharma is stepping in to helm Microsoft’s gaming division moving forward.
In an email sent out Friday to Microsoft employees (via Polygon), Microsoft’s new CEO of gaming said the following about the future of the Xbox brand:
We will recommit to our core Xbox fans and players, those who have invested with us for the past 25 years, and to the developers who build the expansive universes and experiences that are embraced by players across the world.
The executive shake-up also has Matt Booty, the former head of Xbox Game Studios at Microsoft, taking on the role of Xbox chief content officer under Sharma. In an email to staff, Spencer confirmed that his retirement begins on February 23rd and said he first approached Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella last fall about stepping away from Xbox.
Bond has not commented publicly about her departure from the company, but in internal emails, Spencer spoke positively about Microsoft’s former Xbox president, writing,
Xbox head Phil Spencer is retiring, and Microsoft’s head of AI is taking over
