Highlights
- Asha Sharma has been appointed executive vice president and CEO of Microsoft Gaming, reporting directly to Satya Nadella.
- Phil Spencer is retiring after 38 years at Microsoft, including 12 years leading the gaming division.
- Matt Booty has been promoted to executive vice president and chief content officer, overseeing nearly 40 studios.
Nadella said Sharma brings "deep experience building and growing platforms, aligning business models to long-term value, and operating at global scale."
"Asha has helped build and scale services that reach billions of people and support thriving consumer and developer ecosystems," Nadella said.
Spencer, who last autumn informed Nadella of his decision to step back, will remain in an advisory role through the summer to ensure a smooth transition.
Spencer, who joined Microsoft as an intern in June 1988, leaves behind an extraordinary legacy.
During his 12 years leading the gaming division he nearly tripled the size of the business, expanded Microsoft's reach across PC, mobile and cloud, and shaped the company's strategy through the landmark acquisitions of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and Minecraft
Sharma previously served as chief operating officer at Instacart and Vice President at Meta.
Sharma sets vision
In her message to staff, Sharma outlined three core commitments : great games, the return of Xbox, and the future of play adding "I want to return to the renegade spirit that built Xbox in the first place."
"Everything begins here. We must have great games beloved by players before we do anything," she said, adding that the team would "take risks, enter new categories and markets where we can add real value."
She pledged to recommit to core Xbox fans and console gaming while expanding seamlessly across PC, mobile and cloud.
She also made clear that AI would not compromise creative integrity, stating the team would "not chase short-term efficiency or flood our ecosystem with soulless AI slop."
Matt Booty has been promoted to executive vice president and chief content officer, overseeing nearly 40 studios across Xbox, Bethesda, Activision Blizzard and King home to beloved franchises including Halo, Call of Duty, The Elder Scrolls, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Candy Crush and Fallout.
Booty said his focus would be on "supporting the teams and leaders we have in place and creating the conditions for them to do their best work," confirming there are no organisational changes planned for studios. Sarah Bond has also confirmed her departure from Microsoft as part of the broader transition.
Sharma previously served as chief operating officer at Instacart and Vice President at Meta.
