Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond, longtime faces of Xbox as CEO of Microsoft Gaming and President of Xbox respectively, announced today that they’re leaving the company. Both are reportedly moving on to the next chapters of their careers.
Asha Sharma will take over as the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, shifting from her role as President of Microsoft CoreAI. Matt Booty, formerly the head of Xbox Game Studios, is moving up to Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President of Microsoft Gaming.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a statement, “[Sharma] brings deep experience building and growing platforms, aligning business models to long-term value, and operating at global scale, which will be critical in leading our gaming business into its next era of growth.” He also notes that Spencer made the decision to retire last year, and they’ve been working on succession planning since.
Spencer said in his own statement that he’s valued his work at Microsoft, which began with an internship in 1988. He’s also led its gaming component for 11 years. He said, “We know this is an important moment for our fans, partners, and team, and we’re committed to getting it right. I’ll remain in an advisory role through the summer to support a smooth handoff.”
Sarah Bond did not make a statement directly, though Spencer said in his statement that she has, “decided to leave Microsoft to begin a new chapter… I’m grateful for her partnership and the impact she’s had, and I wish her the very best in what comes next.”
Sharma said in her own statement that she has three commitments: “First, great games… Second, the return of Xbox… Third, future of play.” She adds that they will focus on core Xbox fans, and, “we will not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop. Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.”
Booty added, “My focus is on supporting the teams and leaders we have in place and creating the conditions for them to do their best work. To be clear, there are no organizational changes underway for our studios.”